Preaching That Comes Alive: Delivering a Word from the Lord by Maggie Low

Author:Maggie Low
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781783682454
Publisher: Langham Creative Projects
Published: 2017-03-29T22:00:00+00:00

B. How to Tell Illustrations?

1. Tell It Relevantly to the Text

A student was assigned to preach about the woman who anointed Jesus with an alabaster jar of costly ointment in Matthew 26:6–13. She began her sermon with a story of a couple, who instead of throwing a lavish feast for their wedding, had a simple reception and used the money to purchase a truckload of food for the poor. This is a heart-warming story, but unfortunately, it was not what the text was about. In Matthew 26:8–9, the disciples were offended by the waste of ointment and argued that it could have been better used for the poor. But Jesus rebuked them for missing the christological significance of the woman’s act: “By pouring the ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial.” The student’s story was precisely what the disciples were advocating and had missed the essence of the pericope. If an illustration does not fit the text, it confuses the listeners, and if it is a particularly emotive story, it will hijack the sermon and take the interpretation of a text in the wrong direction.

The student subsequently changed her story. She told of a shabbily dressed boy who trudged several miles through the snowy streets of Chicago, determined to attend a Bible class that was conducted by D. L. Moody. When he arrived, Moody asked the boy, “Why did you come to a Sunday school so far away? Why don’t you go to one of the churches near your home?” The boy answered, “Because you love a fellow over here.” This story could still have gone in different directions, such as showing love to those who come to church. But the student linked the story to her focus: “Because he had found love, this boy was willing to brave the cold and the inconvenience. He was willing to go to any length to get near to God.” The student has now learned to tell a story relevantly to the text, but her choice of illustration can actually be improved by observing the next guideline.

2. Tell It Relevantly to the People

The problem with the story of the boy going to Sunday school is that it contains too many elements that are foreign to a local congregation. In Southeast Asia, we do not have snow, nor do we know what Chicago is like, and not everyone would have heard of the famous American evangelist D. L. Moody. Nonetheless, the story still works because there is sufficient overlap of experience, such as going to Sunday school and receiving God’s love. Robinson presents four different levels of the effectiveness of an illustration, which I discuss below.[17]

a. The most powerful illustrations are based on the common experience between the preacher and the congregation.

When gleaning for illustrations from books, or more commonly, the Internet, I advise my students to avoid those about American football or baseball, sports that mean little to Singaporeans. If a preacher wants to use a sports illustration, then references to the FIFA World Cup soccer matches resonate more with Singaporeans (especially the men).

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