I’m sure that I’m not the only one to get to the end of a message, sit down, and realize I forgot something.  A great illustration, a clever one-liner, some piece of support material.  When this happens, remember one thing – nobody else knows!  People listening accept what they hear as long as it makes sense and is somewhat engaging.  They don’t sit there thinking, “Well, that point would be better if it had a second illustration.” 

Elements of a sermon can be overlooked whether you preach without notes, with notes or with a manuscript.  It’s simply a reality of sermonic delivery that there is not a constant and equal attention given to that which is being said, that which the sermon design suggests should be said and the feedback being received from the listeners.  Sometimes our minds get ahead.  Sometimes we get distracted.  It’s alright.  People are not evaluating the sermon based on our manuscript.  They are listening to the delivery and if that goes well, then missed support material will not harm the message.

However, there are some elements that, if missed, can be very serious.  The main idea of the message should not only be included, but made to stick in the hearts of the listeners.  The surfacing of need for the message is very important in the early stages (and often not included in the prepared sermon or in the preached one!)  If this is overlooked then the listeners are unlikely to have genuine attention.  Also, the transitions of the message are important or people will get lost.

Pay attention to remembering the main idea, the creation of need, and transitions.  That clever one-liner or pertinent story from yesterday’s paper feels important to you, and may help if it gets in there, but won’t missed if you forget it.