Transitions

Sermon transitions can help make a good sermon into a great sermon. But just as transitions in life (new job, new relationships, etc.) they can be a challenge. Abe Kuruvilla’s recent book on preaching, A Manual for Preaching (Baker, 2019), discusses different types of sermonic transitions (pp. 131-32). There are word/phrase transitions such as “in addition to . . . ,” “moreover . . . ,” and “besides . . . .” Questions can also be used as transitions. Consider, “Why is this so?” or “What does the text say?” To his categories I would add that illustrations, anecdotes, and humor can have transitional functions. There are a number of ways to get from point A to point B. But transitions help your hearers to make the move mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually so make sure that you take adequate time in your sermon preparation to think it through. For me, this often means talk it through because I find it helpful to hear the transition.