Not the day for aerobatics

Funerals.
Weddings.
Easter.
Christmas.

When people attend one of these services then they have a set of expectations.

I know a minister who mentioned that these were significant ministry opportunities, but quite difficult to totally stuff up.

The reason?

If you cater to the expectations of the majority, hitting all the high points, then they should run smoothly.

So... Don't wander too far from the well-trodden path.

For funerals? God is with those who grieve and pain and death is not a part of God's original plan for the world.
Weddings? God's love for all is represented through the partnership created through a marriage and He wants to be a part of the union.
Easter? God came into the world to restore the relationship between humanity and Himself. For God, this was not cheap nor easy.
Christmas? God reveals Himself clearest and through the incarnation, and through the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus we have access to Our Father.

Don't use the chance to clearly present the gospel and, instead, twist in the plot of the latest movie blockbuster.

The sermon title for Christmas 2012 should not be "The gospel according to The Hobbit."