Preaching can be something of a hit and miss endeavour.
I have been reminded of that this week when thinking about the question: How do you give a talk? This is the question I was posed by the Young Life team in Riga. They asked me to address their group of young leaders on how to go about giving talks to young people.
This has left me a little bit out of my comfort zone. As most preachers know, adult congregations tend to politely conceal what they are thinking, so it can seem as if people are on board even then they are bored stiff.
There are exceptions to this of course. Perhaps Augustine was sensing that he was losing his audience when he said in one of his sermons on the Psalms,
“Sorry — the stench in here tells me this was a long sermon. But you demanded it!”
That leaves me grateful for good ventilation and airconditioning!
I also remember hearing Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaching midweek in a packed Heath Evangelical Church in Cardiff. Part the way through the sermon in what was a very warm building he seemed to be aware that he was losing some of the congregation and used a rhetorical strategy to get them back.
The young volunteers I have working with this week are of a generation that tends to make it obvious if they are disengaged. Maybe all preachers need to talk to children and young people from time to time, so that they can check that they still have what it takes to keep people’s attention?
In our sessions we have been looking at Aristotle’s idea that a talk, like a story, should have a clear beginning, middle and end. It is said that every sermon should have a clear beginning and end and that the distance between the two should not be too long!
How does a preacher maintain people’s attention?
Know your stuff. In an internet savvy world preachers need to do a lot more than merely google the topic. AI can do that very effectively.
Have something to say that is worth hearing.
Speak as if you mean what you are saying.
Help people to really see what you are saying. The use of arresting images help to turn people’s ears into eyes. Good preachers speak, attentive hearers listen, but true communication happens only when hearers see what they are hearing.
I love the picture that Paul evokes in his letter to the Galatians:
“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (Galatians 3:1)
Do you see what Paul is saying? His preaching was so vivid it is almost as if the Galatians were there at the crucifixion.
As the old spiritual asks, “Were there when they crucified my Lord?”
When the preacher is effectively communicating the message of the cross, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
Oh, and one more thing: Remember to finish while they are still looking for more.
Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash
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