I have been working on a reading day on Augustine’s great book on preaching On Christian Teaching.
It is one of the oldest and one of the best books that has ever been written on preaching. One of the interesting factors in play is how Augustine wrestles with the challenge of having being trained as a teacher of rhetoric and who was then called to be a preacher of the gospel.
On the one hand this led Augustine to avoid unnecessary ornamentation in preaching. For him there was nothing wrong with plain speech that ordinary people could hear.
“What, after all, is the use of a golden key if it cannot open what we want, or what is wrong with a wooden key if it can, since all we are looking for is that closed doors should be opened to us?”
Some preaching can be too fancy for the text or the congregation.
I have heard Tom Long say, “Why use a $1,000 word when a $1 word will do?”
This is, of course, a matter of judgement on the part of the preacher. The process of preparing to preach is a conversation between the biblical text, the preacher and the congregation. The context in which the preacher is speaking will shape the type of sermon that is preached.
Preachers need to know their congregations so that they can use words, images, stories and practical applications that work with that congregation.
I have said before in these blogs that some preachers preach to the congregation that they wish they had, rather than the actual congregation that is in front of them.
Yet, Augustine adds that preachers need to make sure that plain speaking is not dull speaking.
“But yes, there is a certain similarity between feeding and learning; so, because so many people are fussy and fastidious, even those foodstuffs without which life cannot be supported need their pickles and spices.”
I eat porridge most mornings and know what a difference it makes when I forget to add a sprinkle of salt to the mixture. Some foods that can be insipid without “pickles and spices” can be lifted by adding them.
So, how can preachers get it right? What is the secret of avoiding unhelpful ornamentation but not presenting a sermon that is unappealing and unappetising?
Preachers need to be rigorous in their preaching choices:
- When choosing biblical texts for preaching I like to ask the question, “What would be the most helpful passage for this congregation to hear this week?”
- In choosing words, images, stories and practical application I will ask the question, “Will this be a barrier or a bridge to understanding?”
Augustine is right about keys. What is the point of having a golden key if it does not open the doors of understanding? What is wrong with a wooden key, if it does the job?
Seldom do people complain that a sermon is too simple.
I like it when people say to me after a sermon, “I heard and understood every word you said.”
Photo by Silas Köhler on Unsplash