This morning Diane came across a tweet from a minister, something she found incomprehensible. She read it aloud to me and I had the same reaction, what in the world is he talking about? By a happy coincidence, I said, “Right now I’m reading an article about ministers making it simple so people can understand.” The article is “Reverse the Curse: Preaching Sermons that Stick” by Dr. Ryan Tinetti in the most recent issue of our faculty’s “Concordia Journal.”
Some pastors prepare their sermons far in advance of the preaching date; others closer. A great temptation in planning and writing the sermon is for the pastor to share what he knows – and yes, do tell us what God says in the Bible – but share it in such a way that a non-seminary graduate, a seventh grader, a new comer to church can understand. In other words, make it “stick.” Dr. Tinetti borrows a term from the social sciences, “the curse of knowledge.” Everyone assumes that knowledge is a good thing, and it can be, but it’s easy for a pastor to forget that not everyone knows what he knows. Theological terms like justification, sanctification, original sin, even forgiveness as well as drive-by Bible references don’t mean the same thing to hearers as they do to preachers. “As preachers, the theological knowledge and pastoral expertise that make us fit to carry out our calling can also inhibit us from connecting with our congregations in a more profound way” (85). You don’t have to know how a plumber fixed your problem, but “the preacher’s calling depends on the ability to convey knowledge to others” (88).
So what does this mean on Friday as church bulletins are being printed and sermons coming into shape for Sunday? Dr. Tinetti offers suggestions to “Reverse the Curse” and they’re good; I like the article and commend to pastors. To laypeople I’d say, ask your pastor what the Bible says about your real life questions. Ask him to expose the subtle temptations of our consumer, politicized society. Ask him to show how Jesus did and does live in a sin-infested hostile world. Explain how our here-and-now fits into the story of the Bible. Don’t be afraid to dialog with him about what he preached. After all, “if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge…but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). Love seeks to deliver and hear sermons that “stick.”
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