“Sometimes you just don’t listen.” These words come from my wife’s mouth and, unfortunately, are often true. Sometimes we just don’t listen. Even when we want to listen and perhaps think we are, we are not listening well. I have found this is because I don’t think rightly about listening. Many view listening as passive. Others talk, I do nothing. This results in non-listening. Because listening is an active engagement. Good listening involves awareness of the thoughts and thought processes in our minds. When we are listening well, we are hearing, thinking about, and evaluating what we are hearing. There are several impacts this should have on how we listen to the Sunday sermon.

First, it means that we should listen to the Sunday sermon with awareness. We should discipline our minds to remain engaged with what we are hearing. It is easy to become distracted and stop listening. Noises, activity, and our own imagination can distract us from listening. Yet, when we find our minds wandering, we must bring ourselves back to listening.

There are tactics I have found that help me. One tactic is to ask questions about what is being said. “What is he saying?” “Where else would I find that in the Bible?” “Where do I see the things he is talking about in my life?” There is almost no end to the questions that you could ask. And I have found that asking questions keeps me engaged.

Another tactic is to take notes to stimulate my mind. When I hear something, I sometimes remember it. When I hear and see something, I am more likely to remember it. When I write it down, I hear it, I write it down, and I see it. This helps me remember. It also helps me organize my thoughts. If there is something I am not sure I agree with, I will make a note so that I can go back and study it out throughout the week. If something is well stated, I write it down so I can use it later. Writing it down also helps me trace the line of thought so I can follow the argument. Writing while listening engages my mind and helps me listen.

Understanding good listening also means listening to the Sunday sermon with emotion. When I listen to God’s Word, the Holy Spirit uses it to go to work on my life. This means that sometimes I respond to the message negatively. I don’t like what is being said. Perhaps I don’t think I agree with what is being said. And it makes me a little angry. When this happens, it is important that I pause and ask why I am responding with the negative emotion. Usually, it is because the Holy Spirit is using God’s Word to convict me of the change I need in my life. Other times, I hear God’s Word and respond with excitement. This excitement should not be repressed but is a form of worship. When someone in the congregation gives a sincere “Amen!” it’s like throwing a bone to a pit bull. Further, it can help those around me re-engage. Finally, it reminds me of the goodness and glory of God.

There is a whole world of study called Listening Theory. In this study, they call these things self-talk. When we listen, we should be aware of the thought process at work and self-talk our way through it. This engages our minds and leads us to a place of decision. At the end of every sermon, we should arrive at a place where we accept what has been preached and make necessary applications, or we reject what has been preached and can give sound, biblical reasons why. What should not happen (and I think happens often) is that we arrive at the end of the messages with no thought for or against what has been said. We simply feel we have fulfilled our duty and move on with life. When we listen to sermons, we must listen intentionally, asking questions, so that we can apply God’s Word to our lives and show all our great God.