Occasionally, people will tell me how much they enjoyed a sermon. Then I will ask what they liked about it. I am usually greeted with one of two responses. After certain sermons, people say, “I learned so much today.” After other sermons, people will say, “It was just a great sermon.”

One group loves a sermon when it teaches them something new. Perhaps it explains something they have never understood, or maybe it showed them something they have never seen. It might even be a trivial piece of information that they had never noticed.

The other group can’t really put their finger on what they liked about it. The sermon made them feel something like love, joy, gratitude, or even guilt. It stirred emotions inside them that made them feel different and they liked it.

Recently, I have been trying to do both with my sermons. I have been walking through some theological explanations and then coupling them with emotionally driven visuals. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Part of that is dependent on the listener. What type of person are they? What were they listening for? What is their personality type?

There is no one thing called “sermon.” A preacher’s message can be anything that connects followers of Jesus with greater devotion to him. Sometimes that comes by informing them of the truth, and other times by making them feel deeply.

This Sunday, we are celebrating Resurrection Sunday, or Easter. My prayer is that when you walk out of worship, you have either learned or felt something. And if all goes really well, I hope you experience both.