Dee,

Thanks for the good question on introductions.  Mike and Mike, thanks for keeping it hizzle (that's "hot" in Ebonics) by bringing the edifizzle ("edifying" comments).

Now you guys have me thinking about introductions more than I normally do, which probably explains why I'm not that good at them.  Often my introductions are questions that point to the application or the main theme.  So, a couple Sundays ago, we were in Proverbs 5 and I asked questions related to the trajectory of marriage in the Cayman Islands.  The questions traded on the recent passage of a constitutional referendum defining marriage as between one man and one woman.  It was a victory, but the real work of marriage has to do with us heterosexual Christians really loving and serving our spouses as though revealing Christ and the gospel might somehow be connected to marriage.  For those with an hour, the sermon is here. 

About the only time I've scrapped an introduction has been in response to something happening in the service... say the Lord using a song before the sermon in a particularly poignant or powerful way.  Then I might try to extemporaneously bridge what just took place in the singing with the beginning of the sermon.  Tried that here.  When that happens, it's usually a gospel appeal of some sort.

But all this talk of introductions reminds me of two reasons for introductions that I don't think anyone has said yet.  First, I, the preacher, need the introduction.  It helps me settle down into what I'm doing.  It brings me from the participation I've just been experiencing with the prayer or the singing to the participation I'm about the share with the word.  Not everyone would need that "lead time," I'm sure.  But it focuses me in helpful ways.  Second, usually the introduction helps me to remember that I'm speaking to a people and that the sermon (though not a dialogue) has an audience I need to communicate with.  The sermon introduction reminds me of that.

So, I like them.  I don't think I'm particularly good at them.  Could use even more help with conclusions, labeling the main points in short pithy statements, and illustrating.  Pretty much the whole shooting match.  But these exchanges have been helpful on the front end.  Fa' rizzle.