Preaching and the Knockout Punch

Today Ron Woods quoted Mohammed Ali.  Not sure if I got the quote exactly right, but here's the idea:

No boxer can win every round.  My goal is to win the first round, the last round, and the last ten seconds of every round.

Sounds like a good goal for a pastor:)  There's no way we're going to preach a slam dunk every week.  But fortunately, if we can make our lay-ups, we score the same amount of points and still get the job done.  Some weeks our sermons will be better than others.  But if we can plan a strong introduction and conclusion, plus a few aha moments along the way, there's a good chance you can make your big idea memorable.

Some thoughts for crafting the introduction:

• Capture attention
• Memorize it
• Create some tension
• Prepare it last (you can't introduce someone you don't know)

Some thoughts for crafting the conclusion:

• Inspire people (give them some "get up and go")
• Define next steps
• Repeat the big idea
• Leave people with a taste of grace

What else do you consider when preparing to start well and finish well?