A sermon is a religious discourse delivered as part of a service of worship. Its roots reach back to the synagogue practice of reading Scripture and offering interpretation, a practice Jesus himself followed in Nazareth. The early church continued the pattern; the letters of Paul were already being read aloud, and teachers soon rose to explain and apply them.

Form varies widely. Some traditions favor a verse-by-verse exposition that stays close to the chosen text. Others prefer thematic addresses that draw on multiple passages. Length, style, and emotional temperature differ by culture and denomination. What remains constant is the claim that the spoken word, when joined to the written word, can become a means of grace. The preacher is not primarily an entertainer or a lecturer but a servant of the text and of the congregation.

Great sermons have shaped history—Augustine’s, Chrysostom’s, Luther’s, Wesley’s, King’s. Most sermons, however, are ordinary, prepared week after week for ordinary congregations. Their effectiveness is hard to measure and easy to overestimate or dismiss. Yet the practice persists because communities continue to believe that God still speaks through human speech when that speech is tethered to Scripture and offered in faith.

A sermon ends, but its work, if any, continues in the lives of those who heard it.