Jesus started to get people's attention when he healed the deaf and mute man. Getting people's attention is important. Dr. Donald Macleod understood this. Generations of preachers at Princeton Seminary were schooled in their homiletical skills by Dr. Macleod. Among the points Dr. Macleod would make during the semester was the importance of choosing a compelling sermon title. In fact, he asked students to give their sermon title before beginning each sermon.

He used to tell of Mrs. O'Leary who would hop on the Fifth Avenue bus on Sunday morning in Manhattan and pass the great churches along that thoroughfare. As the bus would approach each church, she would eye the sign in front with the sermon title and decided, on the basis of what she read, whether to get off the bus and attend that church. Dr. Macleod's constant refrain was, "Pick a title that will make Mrs. O'Leary get off the bus."

Mindful of that instruction, and perhaps to have a little fun, one of his aspiring preachers mounted the pulpit one morning for his first student sermon. Per protocol before beginning his message, he announced: "The title of my sermon is...`There's a Bomb on the Bus.'"