Sermons
In Christianity, a sermon (also sometimes called a homily) is delivered during a worship service. The word sermon comes from a Middle English word which was derived from an Old French term, which in turn came from the Latin word sermo; (discourse). The word can mean conversation, which could mean that early sermons were delivered in the form of question and answer, and that only later did it come to mean a monologue.
There are a number of different types of sermons that differ both by their subject matter and by their intended audience. Sermons can range from
- Topical – concerned with a particular subject of current concern
- Biographical – tracing the story of a particular biblical character through a number of parts of the Bible
- Evangelistic – seeking to convert the congregation or bring them back to their previous faith through a recounting of the Good News
- Expository – preaching from a text and seeking to expound the text to the congregation
- Historical – sermons that take into consideration the context of any given text within the broader history, and
- Theological – sermons that expound on the meaning of God’s relationship to humanity.
At The Falls Church (Episcopal) several different types of sermons can be heard throughout the year. Some are written down, and others are simply spoken extemporaneously. As you search through and read sermons preached to our congregation, you may notice gaps in dates. These gaps are denote times when our preacher has either spoken without a written text, or when texts were unavailable for publication.
Sermons are almost always tied into the Scripture readings for the week. There are a variety of different ways of interpreting Scripture, but at TFCE we always keep in mind the assumptions made by the Church Fathers, the preachers and theologians who directly followed the Apostles. These assumptions are:
- God Exists “Out There”: God is not contained in the Bible. The Bible is testimony to God, but its words are not God, nor can they contain God. God speaks to us through his effects—the things he creates. This includes the Bible, but also includes creation and humanity, which is the imago Dei, or image of God; but most especially he speaks to us through the Incarnation of Christ. All of these things testify to the actual, real, “out there” God who exceeds our understanding and refuses to be bound by the words we use to try to understand him.
- The Bible And God Are Rational: Theology, the study of God, is rational; it makes sense. If some biblical passage doesn’t make sense, we have misunderstood it. Thus, no two passages in the Bible can ever be contradictory in their true sense, nor can the Bible and the created world be contradictory, because all are creations of the same true God.
- God Is The Ultimate Author of Scripture: Thus, the literal sense of Scripture, which contains the things the writer intends, can point toward meanings the writer did not intend (as when Isaiah prophecies Christ), and things signified themselves have deeper significations (e.g., a passage that describes Jerusalem can be describing the Kingdom of God, because Jerusalem signifies the Kingdom).
- Christocentrism: The Incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion, and resurrection are the defining and central events of world history. Therefore, the Old Testament, and especially the prophetic books, directly points to Christ. Similarly, from the theological standpoint, Christ is the key paradigm of morality. In reading the Bible, we always look at it through the lens of the Cross and the risen Christ.
If you have any questions, or if you do not find a sermon that you are looking for, please feel free to contact us.