I have been and remain against long sermons, for lots of good reasons … but my sermon on the fourth Sunday in Lent was about 25 minutes (and that was after the children’s message!). This sermon is long, with good cause and I hope with good effect.
The fourth Sunday in Lent is also known as Laetare Sunday, which means “rejoice.” The lessons give us much cause to rejoice because they punctuate the fact that God saves us, start to finish, and that all by His grace. The poison of that first serpent, the devil, is still with us–the poison that says we must take control and be in control because we are the source of our life, not God. The three lessons for Laetare Sunday are like a thunderclap of clarity and a bright lightning bolt that shows us the truth–the truth that God has always, and will always, save us.
Here is a link to this service: you’ll find the children’s sermon at minute 11, and the sermon directly afterwards (at about minute 16).