It has been said that you can recover from a poor introduction, but not from a poor conclusion. That is true, although we shouldn’t think that introductions aren’t important. They are. But conclusions are too. There have been previous posts touching on conclusions, but I’d like to give this important sermon element some specific focus. I know this is one of the weaker areas of my own preaching. So here are some thoughts that may be helpful to you and to me!
Prepare the landing before take-off – Somehow the whole sermon as an aeroplane journey metaphor seems to work particularly well here. You wouldn’t want a pilot to take off and then try to figure out how to land. Before preaching the sermon give some dedicated focus to how, when and where you will land the sermon.
Land once – There are few things as uncomfortable as coming in to land and then lurching up again for another try. Yet preachers so often put people through that experience. It seems to be close to the end, then suddenly you’re in the air again, making another attempt. Maybe it is a better attempt, but the discomfort felt while grabbing for the paper bag usually outweighs any special view created by the extra landing attempt.
Land early – Listeners may complain politely if you finish early, typically along the lines of, “You should have gone on longer, I could listen to you all day!” (Or some other nicety you shouldn’t test or really believe.) But if you go long, then distractions mount exponentially and complaints will be of a different nature. Sometimes the accepted time can be ignored, but typically it is better to finish within the time constraints (remember the nursery volunteers with screaming children who are not experiencing the spiritual moment with the congregation!) Haddon Robinson suggests finishing two sentences before people expect you to. Leaving people wanting more is not about your own ego, it is about leaving the heart and brain engaged and affected, rather than turned off and inwardly rushing for “normal life.”
Conclusions are important, let’s give them more thought. Any more plane analogy ideas for landing? Or just plain old input on conclusions?
Biblical Preaching 
Can the pew cushions be used as flotation devices?
This has been a major area of growth for me. I am a populace type of pastor. I would rather be with the people any day than trapped in a library. This is difficult because sermon prep needs to be on-the-go and disciplined. For young preachers, intros and conclusions get tacked on at the end of sermon prep. As you mentioned, these are what people remember.
Now I keep the end in mind at the beginning and think about my intro during the whole sermon prep. The end is now the target and the beginning helps toward the end. It’s much better than last minute scrambling. Along that note (conclusions), I am trying to have my sermon printed before Sat. night. I can add and remove things on the paper even Sunday. I benefit greatly from a good nights sleep on Sat and like to mix it up well with guests in church instead of being in the office kicking the printer. The message becomes more pastoral when I can feel the congregational temperature before preaching, opposed to them feeling my temperature from being tired and stressed. My wife says, “When you’re cool, you’re very cool”. Printers hate me!
chip.
Thanks Peter for touching on conclusions again. Like you admitted, I believe that conclusions are not my strong point. If I could develop my conclusions, I would like them to be very specific applications. I would like to have multiple life situation applications for the point the text made. But that isn’t always easy. For instance, this past Sunday’s text–1 Tim. 6:5-10–was speaking about greedy ministers. I didn’t really want to conclude to a congregation not to be a greedy minister, although there is definitely something there. But I came down on defeating greed with contentment. Still I feel that the main idea of the passage is speaking to Timothy about keeping himself from greedy ministers and their sin. But it didn’t really fit for this group.
Chip, I feel ya, printers hate me also. But, the feeling is mutual.
😉