Preaching Basics, Part 3 - The Pause that Refreshes


Abstract:
Their brains will latch on to whatever image made the most sense in the recent past, and, since they cannot connect it to what the preacher is saying right now, they will connect it to what they saw on television last night, or what their grandma used to say, or something that has been bothering them.

Body:
This is the last in a 3-part series of simple things that can improve almost any sermon.

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Those three dots, called an ellipsis, keep you from passing out. They tell you to breathe. In fact, take three deep breaths - one for each dot.

Pauses are not just for dramatic effect. Silence can accomplish many things. It helps listeners hear. It helps preachers preach. It makes space in the sermon for God to work.

Silence gives listeners’ minds a chance to file the information they have received into the appropriate categories. Though I do not have the physiological data to back it up, I suspect that listeners need time for the chemical reactions to take place in their brain that allow them to understand. It gives them time for their brains to make new memories. They digest what you have said, and they prepare for what comes next.

Preachers who do not pause create an impenetrable wall of words. They focus so intently on saying what they want to say, on making a point, that their mouths become machine guns spraying the congregation with syllables. The staccato rhythm becomes hypnotic. Budda budda budda budda boom. Budda budda budda budda boom. The shell-shocked listeners stare into space. Drool collects at the corner of their mouths.

A pause helps listeners establish a point of view. If a preacher rushes from one idea or illustration to the next, it can be difficult for the images to solidify. Are we still talking about Jesus or have we moved on to the disciples? Are we talking about the Israelites or the contemporary church? When listeners’ brains have to work too hard to make connections or understand a point of view, they slip off into daydreams. Their brains will latch on to whatever image made the most sense in the recent past, and, since they cannot connect it to what the preacher is saying right now, they will connect it to what they saw on television last night, or what their grandma used to say, or something that has been bothering them. Later on, when they tell the preacher what they got out of the sermon, the preacher will shake his head and marvel at the power of the Holy Spirit, since what the listener heard was clearly not what he was preaching. And who am I to judge the work of the Holy Spirit? Perhaps it is grace that God gives every listener a brain that will find meaning, if the sermons we preach have none.

Silence also gives a preacher self-control. If you can be comfortable with silence, it can help you to have mastery of the situation. Chatter gives us a feeling of being out of control. Taking time for silence allows the preacher to remember that she is the preacher. It arrests listeners' attention. It arrests the preacher’s attention. Expectant silence gives us a chance to get our bearings, to let the echoes die down so that we can be heard clearly when we next open our mouths.

Posted: Mon - January 1, 2007 at 08:03 PM           |

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