SECTION ONE: Sermon-Listening Trends

Change / n.

1.     A variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; a change of habits or principles.

2.   A succession or substitution of one thing in the place of another.

3.   A passing from one phase to another.

—Webster’s Dictionary

Things change over time, sometimes without even being noticed. Eyesight is one of those things. I remember when my father had his eyes checked by an optician. Dad believed his eyesight was just fine. He really didn’t want to spend money on the checkup but was compelled by my mother who was frustrated that dad’s perception of reality had become quite different to hers. I think dad’s driving might have provided the context for her concern. So he got the tests done, received the bad news, ordered the glasses, and left the optician’s rooms trying to recover from the shock of it all—including the cost.

When he wore his new glasses for the first time, he couldn’t believe the difference. He was surprised to see birds sitting in distant trees and houses lining the neighborhood hilltops. He was amazed! He’d been missing out for so long and didn’t even know it. The change in his failing eyesight had been so gradual it had escaped his notice. And of course, my mother was fully satisfied with the result.

Similarly, a gradual and unnoticed change has taken place in the way Christians listen to sermons. Decades ago, listening to a sermon was a community affair. It used to be that fellowship and sermon-listening were inseparable. But today, that just isn’t the case. Listening to preaching and body-life have drifted apart—a drift that has taken place almost imperceptibly.

Maybe there’s always been a propensity for people to separate God’s Word from loving accountability. This accountability-avoidance problem has actually existed for centuries. The author of Hebrews addressed the issue when some refused to meet with other believers to encourage and stimulate them to a life of love and good deeds (Heb 10:24–25). But it seems that the pursuit of individualism and personal autonomy has skyrocketed in recent years. As a result, the desire to listen to a sermon alone and thereby avoid communal accountability has become more prevalent.

How did this happen? Like my father’s eyesight, a change has taken place without our knowledge. What’s been the catalyst for dividing two essential aspects of Christian experience? The gradual change is motivated by our sinful propensity for prideful independence, and it’s been powered by the advancements of travel and technology.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll think back over the last few years and track the change.