Emotion in Preaching

It happened again Sunday. It doesn’t happen often, but I would venture to say that it happens to me more often than the average preacher.

I had to stop for a few moments to gather my emotions.

After the pause, I mentioned that when I preach on the home, it just plays on my emotions. There are other subjects that touch me, too, but homes and marriages really do it. I know going in that it will probably be another sermon with a few seconds of silence.

But I’ve stopped doing something I used to do. I used to apologize when I would have to stop to gather myself, or even just when my voice became choked up from emotion while preaching. I can say in full honesty that the tears (or getting choked up) have never been forced. They are legitimate, but I’m sure it makes some people feel a bit awkward.

However, as I have tried to improve in preaching, I have stopped apologizing. Here’s why:

I am a person, too.

For some reason, we can get the idea that a preacher–once he’s in “his element” behind the pulpit–becomes a type of robot. All emotions are turned off (except, sometimes, anger!) and he just dispenses information with no emotion tied to it.

However, I try–though I don’t always succeed–to truly be mentally and emotionally invested in what the sermon says, even if I’m the one delivering it. While I’ve “heard” the sermon throughout the days of preparation, I try to listen while I talk, because I want to follow what we often say in prayer: “Take this message and apply it in our everyday lives.”

So, sometimes I cry. Sometimes I laugh–usually at my own tongue getting tangled up. Sometimes, I get angry or frustrated. And it’s all because I am a person, in or out of the pulpit.

While I do not think preachers should prey on emotions, I do think they should have emotions, and it is okay if he must stop for a moment to collect himself. It’s also okay if he laughs at one of his own jokes or mistakes for a few moments. As long as the emotion is legitimate and sincere, it’s just who he is.

COMMENTS: In the comments below this post, share your reactions. Why do you think preachers often feel hesitant to show emotion in the pulpit? Does it bother you when it happens?

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Photo credit: Ludovico Sinz on Creative Commons

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