Do you struggle with retaining the information from the Sunday sermon? Maybe in the moment, you’re agreeing with everything you hear from the pastor, only to find yourself on Monday or Tuesday having completely forgotten the details. Or maybe even in the moment as you listen to the sermon, you have a hard time following along. Whatever the reasons may be, a lot of people nowadays find themselves either forgetting the previous weekend’s sermon, or simply just not “getting a lot” out of it.
So, what I want to do is give a few short ways that you can use in order to get more out of the Sunday sermon and to remember it better. My hope is that you will implement some or all of these, and in doing so, find your mind stretched as you pull more and more out of God’s Word!
Take notes
One of the absolute best pieces of advice that was ever given to me was from Southeastern Seminary’s president. He spoke to the Young Adults group at my church back in Ohio, and he said that the best way to get more out of your Sunday worship is to bring a notebook and to take notes as you follow along with the sermon. Since then, for the last seven or eight years, I have taken notes on every sermon I sit in.
And it really does help!
Now, this is my opinion here. I know we offer bulletins with outlines and extra space to take notes. But I really want to encourage you to purchase some sort of notebook and take all your notes there. Still grab the bulletin, but use your own notebook to write out the outline that you see on the screen, any additional thoughts you think of, and anything else said in the sermon.
In doing this, your mind is being trained to actively listen, because you’re trying to fill a blank page with information! And, as you physically write out these thoughts, your brain is retaining that information more easily. And better yet, you now have a notebook full of sermon notes you can refer back to has time progresses. For me personally, I like to at the end of every other month or so, go back and look through the sermon notes I took and reflect on them.
I am dead serious when I tell you that this is the most important thing you can possibly do when it comes to getting more out of the Sunday sermon. So this week, go to Dollar General, Walmart, or Target, and pick yourself up a cheap notebook and get to writing! You might not notice a change right away, but after diligent and constant practice of this, you will find yourself getting more out of the sermon than you previously were. There is so much that is said in the sermons, so many good points made, and/or interesting thoughts I want to reflect on. And because I have written them down, I can look back on my notebook and remember everything that was said!
Read the passage ahead of time
Another way to get more from the sermon is to read the passage on Saturday. Every Saturday afternoon we put out on Facebook a “Prepare to Worship” graphic with the passage of Scripture that will preached. What you can do in order to get more from the Sunday sermon is on Saturday grab your Bible, read over the passage once or twice, and start to think through it.
Develop your own thoughts on the passage, so when you sit in church the next day, you have an idea of where the message might be going. You’ve conditioned your brain to “expect” something when you’re listening now.
An extra step you can do, and one I have just begun to do is this: I’ll read the passage on Saturday and then jot down just a few initial thoughts in my sermon notebook. Then on Sunday I take notes from the sermon, and then later that night I compare the two. Was I thinking along the same lines or not? Did I also arrive at the same conclusion as the pastor did with this verse or that sentence?
I go from a passive listener, to an active participant in the preaching of God’s Word. I am engaging with God’s Word, my heart and mind, and my pastor’s sermon all at once.
Pray beforehand
Lastly, where would we be without prayer? Look, I get it, you’ve had a crazy week, and maybe even a tiring Saturday. Maybe you and your spouse argued the night before or even on the way to church. Maybe your kids are just “on one” today. Regardless, here is what you can do, and pardon my sarcasm. Did you know that as soon as you park in the church parking lot, there is no countdown for you to race inside? Park that car, sit with your family, and pray.
Pray that God speaks to you today. Pray that you make much of Him and worship Him fully. Pray over your spouse and children. Because I promise you, if you go into service and your brain is all rattled and it’s hectic in your mind, you and I both know it’s going to be hard to pay attention and not let your thoughts wander off. Trust me, I am so guilty of this too (but keeping a notebook to take notes helps because now I have to pay attention).
Prayer, as always, is the greatest tool we possess. Whether in the car, or in your seat during the songs, you can pray something like this: “God, thank you for this time I get to worship You. Help me to stop and rest, and to enjoy this time. Open up my ears and mind to hear what is being sung and preached today. And help me to hold onto the truths being spoken today.”
Conclusion
Here’s the reality, ultimately, Sunday worship isn’t about us; how we feel, what we did, etc… It’s all about God. But there are practical steps we can take to engage more with the public preaching of God’s Word. Don’t fall into the excuse of, “well my mind just doesn’t work that way.” Do all that you can to retain the sermon, because you never know when those words preached on Sunday will come back around to bring you comfort, peace, or joy on Thursday. Likewise, you never know when someone on Tuesday or Friday may need to hear those words from Sunday as well.
North Bullitt Christian Church 