Preaching Basics, Part 1 - Keep it Stupid SImple


Abstract:
Carl Sandburg put together a few sentences about a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater, beside the white chickens, and suddenly he had a poem that was bigger than the words that made it up.

Body:
There are three things that can improve almost any sermon, whether it is a sermon preached by a rookie preacher or a seasoned wordsmith. Here is the first:

Keep it Stupid Simple

Most American adults read somewhere between a 6th and 9th grade level. They do not use words like “eschatology” or “implausible.” Don’t get me wrong – these are good words. But they do not reflect the way people really talk, or the way they really listen.

“Simple” doesn’t only mean non-academic, either. We get used to Christian language: propitiation, revelation, restoration, justification. Each one of those words could be an entire sermon - or an entire sermon series! We also use uniquely Christian grammar. Because of a few phrases in the King James version of the Bible, we actually construct sentences like this: “God will prosper you.” God will prosper you? Would anyone use prosper that way in any other context besides church?

Keeping language simple does not mean dumbing down. Sometimes the most beautiful and profound sentences are put together with simple words. William Carlos Williams put together a few phrases about a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater, beside the white chickens, and suddenly he had a poem that was bigger than the words that made it up. What is the poem about? The trials and tribulations of farming? The glorification of a simple lifestyle? He said a lot, but he said it in just a few words. Preachers could stand to learn something from poets. Simple language is the language of folk singers, poets, and revolutionaries.

Posted: Thu - December 28, 2006 at 04:40 PM           |

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