I was on the side of the Bishop at first, but then I saw the bit about the AVERAGE 42 minute sermon. Any sermon over 30 minutes is a vanity. The Catholic church had it right by renaming the sermon the Homily, and making the Preacher limit it to about 15 minutes.
>>>Any sermon over 30 minutes is a vanity.<<<
Tell that to the Apostle Paul. :-)
“7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. 12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted. - Acts 20: 7- 12