The preacher's first task is to engage the listener. Preachers should not assume that the listener comes to church with a deep desire to hear the preacher's sermon. People have short attention spans.
Every text has a story.
The Bible is populated with real human beings going through most all the things that our listeners experience. Working with the humanity in the text will give the listeners something that they can identify with. Perhaps they will find that the Bible is relevant after all. Finding the heart in the text is much more engaging than being cute or clevor.