Sermon Introduction Examples: How to Grab Attention From the First Sentence

The first ninety seconds of your sermon may be the most important minute and a half of your week. That's when your congregation decides whether to lean in or check out. If you lose them at the start, you'll spend the rest of the sermon fighting to get them back — and most preachers never fully do.

We spend enormous energy on the body of the sermon — the outline, the exegesis, the illustrations. Then we wing the introduction. The result is a sermon that takes two minutes to find its footing, by which point half the room has already decided this is going to be a long morning.

Here's how to craft sermon introductions that earn attention and set up the message, with examples you can learn from.

What a sermon introduction is supposed to do

A good introduction isn't just an attention-grabber. It has real work to do:

• Earn attention. People arrive distracted — by the argument they had on the way to church, by the kid who wouldn't sit still, by the week they're dreading. Your intro has to cut through.
• Introduce the text and topic. People need to know what we're talking about and why it matters.
• Raise a felt tension. The best introductions create a question in the listener's mind — a problem the sermon will resolve. Curiosity is more powerful than information.
• Set emotional tone. A heavy sermon needs a different opening than a joyful one.
• Be brief. An introduction should be 5-10% of your sermon — for a 30-minute message, that's 2-3 minutes.

Notice what's not on the list: "tell them everything you're going to say." A roadmap ("Today we'll look at three points about grace") is fine in moderation, but telling people the structure before you've given them a reason to care is a weak opening.

Five types of sermon introductions (with examples)

Different sermons call for different openings. Here are five proven approaches, when to use each, and what they look like.

1. The story opening

You begin with a brief, vivid story that raises the tension your sermon will address. This is the most common — and most misused — type of introduction. Done well, it's powerful. Done poorly, it's a tangent.

When to use it: When you have a true story that genuinely connects to the passage's main idea.

Example (for a sermon on Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus walking on water):

"In 2010, a man named Andrew ran out of gas on a remote highway in northern Canada. It was February. The temperature was twenty below. He had no cell service. He started walking toward the nearest town — twelve miles away. He told me later that the moment he realized no one was coming, something shifted in him. The fear didn't leave, but a kind of clarity set in. He wasn't going to be rescued. He had to keep walking, or die. The disciples in our text today knew that feeling. They were in a boat, in a storm, in the dark — and Jesus wasn't there. Or so they thought."

Why it works: It's vivid. It raises a felt tension. It connects cleanly to the passage. And it doesn't give the resolution away.

Caution: Keep it brief. A story that runs five minutes is no longer an introduction — it's the sermon. Cut every detail that doesn't serve the point.

2. The question opening

You open with a probing question that the sermon will answer. This creates immediate engagement because the human brain can't hear a real question without trying to answer it.

When to use it: When your sermon addresses a question people are actually asking — or should be. Especially effective for confronting sermons.

Example (for a sermon on Matthew 7:21-23, "Lord, Lord"):

"If you died tonight and stood before God, and He asked you, 'Why should I let you into My heaven?' — what would you say? Stop and actually think about that for a second. What's your answer? Because your answer reveals what you're really trusting in. And Jesus, in the passage we're looking at today, says that a lot of people who feel very confident about their answer are going to be devastated."

Why it works: It's immediate. It forces every person in the room to engage. And it sets up a sermon that will challenge assumptions.

Caution: Don't ask a rhetorical question you answer immediately. Let it hang. The tension is the point.

3. The tension opening

You name a problem, a paradox, or a tension that everyone feels but no one talks about. Then you show how the text speaks to it.

When to use it: When your passage addresses a common struggle — anxiety, doubt, conflict, guilt, suffering.

Example (for a sermon on Philippians 4:6-7, "be anxious for nothing"):

"Here's something I've never heard a preacher say from a pulpit: 'Just stop being anxious.' And the reason I've never said it is because it doesn't work. If you could just stop, you would have by now. Anxiety doesn't respond to commands. And yet — Paul, writing from a prison cell, says 'be anxious for nothing.' Either he doesn't understand what anxiety feels like, or he knows something we don't. I think it's the second one. Let's look at what he actually says."

Why it works: It names a real struggle honestly. It acknowledges that the easy answer doesn't work. It creates curiosity about what the text actually offers.

Caution: Don't create false tension. If the "problem" you name isn't actually a problem people feel, the opening falls flat.

4. The direct passage opening

You open by simply reading the text — or a striking portion of it — and letting it land. No setup, no story. Just the word of God, delivered with conviction.

When to use it: When the passage itself is so striking that it needs no introduction. Works especially well with narratives, parables, or emotionally charged texts.

Example (for a sermon on Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"):

"'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.' That's Psalm 22. And those are the words Jesus quoted from the cross. Today we're going to sit in this psalm — because if you've ever felt abandoned by God, you are not alone, and this text was written for you."

Why it works: It's authoritative. It lets Scripture do the work. It signals that this sermon is going to be serious and grounded.

Caution: Read it well. A flat, rushed reading will kill the effect. Pause. Breathe. Let the words land before you say anything else.

5. The startling statement opening

You begin with a jarring claim or statistic that arrests attention. This works when the statement is true, surprising, and relevant.

When to use it: When you have a fact or claim that genuinely surprises and connects to your message. Don't manufacture shock — it backfires.

Example (for a sermon on James 3, the tongue):

"According to researchers, the average person speaks about sixteen thousand words a day. That's enough words, in a single day, to write a short book. Now hear James: 'No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.' Sixteen thousand words a day. And we can't control any of them — not really. Today we're going to talk about why our words matter more than we think."

Why it works: The number surprises. It makes the abstract concrete. It sets up the text naturally.

Caution: Verify your facts. A made-up statistic will destroy your credibility when someone Googles it on the way home.

What makes any introduction work

Across all five types, certain traits separate strong openings from weak ones:

It's brief. Two to three minutes, max. If you're still in the introduction at minute five, you've lost the runway.

It connects to the text. Every story, question, or tension should lead directly to the passage. If you could swap your intro for a different one and the sermon wouldn't change, your intro isn't doing its job.

It creates tension, not resolution. A good intro makes people want the sermon. Don't give away the punchline. Raise the question; let the text answer it.

It's authentic. Don't adopt a persona. The best introductions sound like you — just more focused.

It's practiced. Memorize your first sentence. The moment you hesitate at the open, you've lost a portion of the room. Know exactly how you're going to begin.

What to avoid

A few patterns that kill introductions:

• The apology. "I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be..." Never open by lowering expectations. You're about to preach God's word. Act like it.
• The announcements. "Before we start, a few things..." Handle logistics before the sermon begins, not as part of it.
• The throat-clearing. "Well, good morning, it's great to be here..." Thirty seconds of filler. Just start.
• The bait-and-switch. An attention-grabbing story that has nothing to do with the text. People remember the story and forget the sermon.
• The roadmap without a reason. "Today we'll look at three points." That's structure, not introduction. Tell me why I should care before you tell me the shape.
• The inside joke. References only regulars get will alienate every visitor. Easter, Christmas, and any Sunday with guests is not the time.

Preparing your introduction

A few disciplines that will improve your openings immediately:

1. Write the introduction last. You can't introduce a sermon well until you know what it is. Write the body first; then craft an intro that earns attention for that specific message.
2. Memorize your first sentence. Whatever else you improvise, know your opener cold. Eye contact on the first sentence sets the tone for everything that follows.
3. Practice it out loud. What looks good on the page can sound stilted aloud. Read it until it sounds natural.
4. Cut it by a third. Whatever you've written is probably too long. Trim ruthlessly. Every sentence must earn its place.
5. Time it. Know exactly how long your intro runs. If you're over time on Sunday, cut from the intro, not the text.

The first ninety seconds

Think of your introduction as the runway. A smooth takeoff makes the whole flight feel right. A bumpy one makes passengers grip the armrests for hours. You have a brief window to earn the right to be heard. Use it well.

You don't need to be a naturally charismatic communicator to open well. You need to prepare the opening with the same care you give the rest — to craft a genuine on-ramp that connects your people to the living word of God. Do that, and the sermon has a fighting chance from the very first sentence.

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