How Long Should a Sermon Be?

Several months ago, I ordered from a woodworking magazine a small clock to put into the top of the pulpit as a way of keeping up with the time of the service and the sermon. I thought I could see this clock more conveniently than glancing at my watch at the side of the pulpit. It has worked well. It has become second nature for me to look at it right at the top of where my Bible is each Sunday in order to stay on track of the time for the service and for my sermon.

This Sunday I was nearing what I thought was about time to end my sermon so I glanced at the clock for confirmation. I was a little surprised to see that it was still about 12 minutes till noon. I used some other material in the sermon that was optional. I dealt with a few more applications than I originally intended, and still there was a good bit of time left. When I couldn’t think of anything else to say, I went ahead and ended the sermon and gave the invitation. When I walked to the back door at the end of the service, I glanced at my watch and saw that the service had been a little long. After shaking hands with folks, I went back to the pulpit, checked the clock, and found the problem. Evidently the battery was getting weak, and the clock was running about 10 minutes slow. Good thing the battery wasn’t any weaker—you might still be there.

That reminded me of the old story of the preacher who timed his sermons each Sunday by taking a breath mint from his pocket, and putting it into his mouth as he began to preach. When the mint had dissolved, he knew that it was time to stop preaching. One Sunday he preached for over an hour, and the mint had still not dissolved. He concluded anyway. At the end of the service, he discovered that there had been a button in his pocket and that he had put it into his mouth instead of the breath mint.

One preacher with a reputation for long sermons came to preach one Sunday at a small country church. Only 10 people showed up to hear him. He was a little irritated by the small number and said to a deacon, “That was a very small crowd. Was it announced that I was coming?” The deacon said, “No, but word must have leaked out.”

This tradition of long sermons has led some to offer helpful advice to preachers about the length of their sermons. One professor of preaching said that a good sermon is characterized by a good introduction and a good conclusion—preferably very close to each other. Another said, “If you can’t be interesting or inspiring when you preach, at least you can be brief.”

Of course the important matter in any service of worship is not the length of it, but the depth of it. Do we encounter God? Do we allow His Word to make an impact upon our lives? That should be our prayer for every service of worship. I invite you to worship with us this Sunday. I will see you in the sanctuary with a fresh Word in my heart and a new battery in the clock!