Before we end our look at the sermon’s introduction, it would be very practical for us to explore the many different ways one can introduce his subject. The following is not exhaustive, but notice the variety of ways the introduction can be made.

  • Texts: Quote or read your text. Do an overview of it or summarize it. If it is a narrative of a Bible event, like Joseph’s temptation in Genesis 39, you could briefly recount the major facts of the event.
  • Current events: These can be current national or global news events, from politics to entertainment to athletics, etc. They might be statistics or the findings of a recent survey. They could be a well-known event as shared through social media.
  • Quotations: A pithy, brief, poignant statement that captures the overall theme of your lesson can be a great attention-getter.
  • Illustrations: A fresh, “less traveled” story is best. Make sure it is appropriate, on point, effective, and interesting. Illustration books and web sites can be a great source for such illustrations. Scan or save news articles, human interest stories, magazine articles, and the like which contain such illustrations.
  • Object lessons: Brother Winkler once did a sermon where he came to the podium flipping pennies. Preachers have had empty chairs, suitcases, a trash can, handed out admission tickets, and the like. Be creative. Find such an object to use to pique your audience’s interest in your subject.
  • Questions: The Bible itself is the best source of provocative questions. See Hebrews 2:3, Matthew 16:26, 1 Kings 18:21, and John 3:4, for example. The question is a powerful way to get your listeners thinking. My dad preached for an entire year, surveying important questions asked in the Bible. It was fresh and interesting each and every week.
  • Posing challenges: In a sermon on Bible knowledge, ask them some “Bible trivia” questions to make the point that we can all grow in that area. In a sermon on the united theme of the Bible, ask them if they could cite that purpose if using only the book of Obadiah. Challenging thoughts or knowledge can be a powerful way to draw in your listeners.
  • Immediate references to subject: Brother Winkler did this in a sermon on the birth of Christ. He started the sermon this way: “Nearly 2000 years ago in the little town of Bethlehem of Judah, there was born a child—not just an ordinary child—in whose personage all history—past, present, and future—was to center.” “Jumping right in” can be highly effective.
  • Startling statements: Begin a sermon on the problem of suffering with the startling answer Stephen Fry gave in his interview with Gary Byrne. Again, brother Winkler gave some excellent examples from Scripture. In one, he said, “Living, growing churches are composed of dead people” (Gal. 2:20). Read the humanist manifesto or a statement from a controversial figure on the subject you are presenting.
  • Personal experiences (use sparingly): Draw on things you have seen, learned, or experienced, either in childhood, in parenting, or in preaching, for example. However, avoid overly indulging in the first-person when preaching. Remember, we are trying to hide behind the cross.

It is hard to overstate the importance of beginning well. Whether you save your introduction as the last thing you write, whether it is the first thing you write, or whether you find it somewhere else in the sermon-writing process, make sure to give thought to the introduction. It may spell the difference in whether or not the audience is with you at the end.