Last night saw the final of the 'Sermon of the Year' preaching contest in London, with its winner a retired woman preaching for the first time in her life.

This is the second year London School of Theology (LST) and Preach magazine have run their national competition to 'celebrate and reward excellence in preaching'. This year contestants had to write a sermon on the topic of 'God in the Dark'. The four finalists had to preach live in front of a panel of judges.

The winner of the contest was Carole Hodgkins, a retired sixth form teacher from Essex. Giving the first sermon she has ever written, Hodgkins spoke about the death of her eldest daughter, who died at age 36 in 2000. She spoke about wrestling with an immensely dark reality and a God who is light, present in that darkness.

Hodgkins, who is divorced and now lives alone, said in her sermon, which can be read in full here: 'I am beginning to stumble on the simple truth; that by surrendering and losing my life to God I am gaining a fuller life. The darkness of loss has helped me to realise that God in the dark is also God in the light.'

The judges praised Hodgkins for her vulnerability, depth and simplicity of expression. Ahead of her sermon, she said: 'I felt I would like to give it a try! I believe God guided me to write this sermon. When I talk or write about God, his presence is very powerful.'

As her prize, Hodgkins has one a year's free study at LST. The runner-up prize (granting 50 per cent off a year's LST tuition) went to Chris Took, a lay minister in the Church of England whose talk wove theology with a creative array of Star Trek references.

The other two finalists were Andrew Baldwin, a cross-cultural missionary whose sermon addressed the pain of the persecuted Church, and Siku, the artist and author behind the bestselling Manga Bible.

Siku offered a particularly visual address, integrating his words with his own manga-style artistry. 

Jo Swinney, editor of Preach magazine, told Christian Today she was encouraged and moved by this year's contest.

'Each of the four preachers was captivating in their own way and brought very different perspectives to the theme of "God in the Dark". The sermons were challenging, moving, funny in places, and not for a moment boring. There was a real sense of God at work. As many people commented, although the sermons were written for a competition, they all had clear relevance to those of us listening.'

Swinney, who has written for Christian Today about the priority of preaching for the Church, added: 'We were encouraged to see such a great turnout, not just those coming to support the finalist but a number who came from a desire to "celebrate the art of preaching" – as the competition strapline puts it. Plans are already afoot for next year's competition.'

The sermons were judged by a three-person panel – resembling the X-Factor, but gentler in spirit – featuring Calvin Samuel, the president of LST, Natalie Collins, a gender justice specialist and winner of last year's contest, and Anne Calver, an author and Baptist minister.

The top 10 finalists of the contest have had their sermons published in a compilation book, which can be purchased here.

Details of next year's competition can be found here.