Answer:
Sermon reading was popular because the settlers were very religious and had religion as an important part of their lives. In addition, sermon reading allowed for socialization among the settlers because they could talk about the sermons and bring the entire community together for the reading.
Step-by-step explanation:
Several colonies were created by people who were fleeing religious persecution in their countries. This means that these people had religion as something so important in their lives that they preferred to leave their homelands, to venture into a completely new and unknown territory, but that would allow them to exercise the religion they wanted, without reprisals. Furthermore, the colonies were created by Europeans, who had great faith in religion and God's provision for those who were obedient.
This made the settlers take religion very seriously, even in American territory. The teachings of each religion were disseminated through the reading of sermons, which was a very important part of colonial life, as it strengthened the religiosity and brought the whole community together.