Sticky Sermons

8/9/2019 Sticky Sermons

1/24


2/24

CONTENTS:

Sticky Sermons: Evolution of The Stickiness Factor 3

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Scripture 5

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Tension .. 7

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Interaction .. 10

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Challenge . 13

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Kerygma ... 17

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: Yearning ... 22


3/24

Sticky Sermons: Evolution of The Stickiness Factor"Stickiness," a simple children's word,moved into adult discourse when it wasincluded among the factors that causeideas to spread in The Tipping Point byMalcolm Gladwell.

According to Gladwell, "The Stickiness Factor says that there arespecific ways of making a contagious message memorable; thereare relatively simple changes in the presentation and structuringof information that can make a big difference in how much of animpact it makes" (p. 25).

The next big move for "stickiness" came when Chip and DanHeath, brothers who are university professors, wrote Made toStick . They picked up Gladwell's concept of "The StickinessFactor" and took it further. They said their objective was to,"[I]dentify the traits that make ideas sticky, a subject that was

beyond the scope of Gladwell's book" (p. 13).

The word was "baptized" when Larry Osborne, lead pastor of North Coast Church in California, brought "sticky" to the church.He wrote two books taking full advantage of the new buzzword:Sticky Church and Sticky Teams .

Following their lead, I am aware that some sermons can be"sticky," while others seem to be written and delivered with ateflon coating!

Sermons, as I am describing them, are designed to be delivered


4/24

in a particular context. Granted, some guys have gotten a hold of a bullhorn and tried to make a pulpit out of a street corner, but thatis the exception rather than the rule. The street corner is no placefor a either a sermon or a guy yelling at people he doesn't know.

The proper context is in the weekly gathering of Christianbelievers for the purpose of worshipping God. The sermon is justone component of that gathering. The others include greeting oneanother, praying together, singing in unison, offering support,reading the Scriptures, and sharing communion. To imagine asermon apart from that context is to act as if an appetizer is thesum total of a five-course meal. What this combination of components looks like, sounds like, and feels like in actualpractice differs from place to place and denomination todenomination, but the gathering itself is standard Christianpractice.

Because of the ongoing regularity with which preachers aredelivering sermons, I want to identify what I perceive to be the

elements of a "sticky sermon." After all, when you preach youwant the ideas, beliefs, actions, and strategies that you arepresenting to attach themselves to people's lives. In other words,you want them to stick.

In what follow, I'll use an acronym of the word "sticky" to identifywhich elements should be present in the content andcommunication of a sermon, delivered in its proper context, tohelp you make it stick.


5/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: ScriptureI went to a sales seminar a couple of years ago. Over the courseof the day there were musicians playing music while encouragingus to sing along, speakers telling success stories, designatedtimes to meet and greet other attendees, opportunities to attendbreakout classes, and appeals to attend another seminar in thefuture.

It all felt like a bad high school pep rally, or sadly enough, like acontemporary church service. The blunt truth is that too manysermons today have been reduced to motivational speeches thatcould have been delivered by Tony Robbins.

What prevents this fromhappening?

Scripture.

In the Bible we find people,stories, poems, prayers, events,and correspondence testifying tothe ongoing acts of God within

creation and on behalf of his people. Scripture, then, is morethan a veneer to overlay a motivational speech about how muchof our personal potential we have yet to realize.

Scripture is the very foundation and authorization of our proclamation.

John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church inMinneapolis, says that using Scripture is not to be neglected or


6/24

considered as an afterthought. He writes, "Again and again myadvice to beginning preachers is, 'Quote the text! Quote the text!Say the actual words of the text again and again. Show thepeople where your ideas are coming from'" ( The Supremacy of God in Preaching , 88).

If you are to keep the sermon from sounding like a trivial, self-indulgent exposition of contemporary culture and humanachievement, you must stick to Scripture.

The historic dimension of Scripture keeps us from theethnocentrism that so easily think our modern way is the bestway and they're way (whoever "they" might be) is clearly inferior.

Likewise, the present application of Scripture prevents us fromthe pious nostalgia that thinks the "spiritual" life would be somuch better for us if we lived a long time ago and far, far away.

Over against those responses, the Scriptures insist that we liveas characters in the forward-looking drama of God and the worldthat God is renewing through us, his image-bearing creation.

A sticky sermon, then, must negotiate the distance between thehistoric and present aspects of Scripture in ways that listenerscan understand. N.T. Wright notes the centrality of this taskwhen he says, "[T]hroughout the history of the church, preachershave sought both to understand what Scripture was saying in itsoriginal context and to convey to their hearers what this mightmean in their own day ( Simply Christian , 188).


7/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: TensionYou spend time each week exploring a passage of Scripture. Youread slowly through it, linger over it, place yourself in it, cross-reference it for parallel passages, consult what commentatorshave said about it, and explored various instances where itstheme intersects with the modern world.

By the time you show up todeliver a sermon out of thepassage, you've investedmany hours in the process.

The most important thing torecognize here is that it wasduring the sermon creationprocess that you sorted

through the tension, ambiguity, and complexity, and emerged withclarity. The people who are present, most likely, have not.

Therefore you must always remind yourself that most of thepeople listening to the message are hearing that passage for thefirst time that week - or the first time in their lives. They haven'tinvested the hours or the effort that you have when you stand upto speak, so logically they are not nearly as excited as you areabout the conclusions you've reached!

If you don't engage the listeners, your words will be heard withtheir ears but not with their minds and hearts.

How do you engage people? Provoking tension is the key to getting and keeping peopleengaged.


8/24

George Lowenstein, a behavioral economist at Carnegie MellonUniversity teaches that gaps in our knowledge cause pain. Whenwe want to know something but don't, it's like having a rock in our shoe: we can go on if we want to, but we're aware that somethingneeds to happen to resolve the situation.

Eugene Lowry connects this insight to preaching in his book TheHomiletical Plot. He says, "The first step in the presented sermon,then, is to upset the equilibrium of the listeners, and is analogousto the opening scene of a play or movie in which some kind of conflict or tension is introduced....The central task of any sermon,therefore, is the resolution of that particular central ambiguity" (p.31).

How do you provoke tension? 1) Question Conventional Wisdom Everyone lives by a set of rules, whether we call them that or "guidelines, "principles," or something else, is beside the point.With every action we take, we have a corresponding expectation

for what the result should look like. When the result matches theaction, time and time again, we begin to think in formulas. For instance, x + y = z. Conventional Wisdom is comprised of hundreds of formulas like these in all walks of life - from financesto relationships. That's fine as far it goes, but sometimes lifethrows us a curveball and we find that the old formula no longer makes sense of the present situation. Because real life is messy,I'm convinced that the number of outcomes that can be logicallypredicted by Conventional Wisdom is slim to none. You are in aposition to point this out, and thus provoke tension. For instance,you could say something like, "What we thought was x is reallynot...it's actually j."


9/24

2) Acknowledge and Interact with the Conclusions of Others We live in a time when information and sound bites are freelydistributed. People are exposed to the conclusions of others onwebsites, television programs, and radio shows. You mustacknowledge that, specifically on the topic at hand, other peoplehold viewpoints and conclusions different from your own. Not todo so is not only counterproductive, but comes across as evasive.It's counterproductive because you've lost the opportunity tocreate and relieve tension through offering a worthwhile critique;and it seems evasive (especially if another conclusion is well-known), because you have chosen not to mention the "elephant inthe room." Explain to people your reasons for choosing the viewyou hold over-against the other views on offer.

So don't shy away from the tension. Provoke it. People will stayengaged because they want the tension resolved. And whenpeople are involved in active listening with a purpose (relievingthe tension), your sermon is sure to stick.

If you desire to increase "The Stickiness Factor" of your sermons,I encourage you to lean on the Scriptures - both the story they'retelling and the God to whom they're pointing.


10/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: InteractionOne reason that so many sermons today lack anythingresembling "The Stickiness Factor" is that they are monologues inwhich the person with the microphone has all the say. Sermons,as a general rule, do not provide opportunities for planned

interaction between theone preaching and theones listening. That isa rule that must bebroken.

Of course manypreachers practicesome form of unplanned interactionby simply paying

attention to the lives of various members within the congregation.This type of interaction is certainly not to be overlooked, and if you

aren't paying attention the lives of the people who attend your local church then it's time to start.

This unplanned interaction is what Fred Craddock has in mindwhen he says, "[T]he listeners participate in the sermon before itis born. The listeners speak to the preacher before he speaks tothem; the minister listens before saying anything" ( Preaching, 25).

That's good but, in my opinion, it doesn't go far enough. I believethat churches must begin to include planned interaction as part of what passes for a sermon. In other words, a sermon must beseen as incomplete until the preacher stops talking and startslistening to the responses of the people who are present.


11/24

By Planned Interaction I mean, primarily, giving other people achance to voice their questions, objections, and needs for clarification DURING the time allotted for the sermon.

Why isn't this happening already? I can't say for certain, but I have a couple of hunches:1) "Sermonizing" reached its present form in the time after theProtestant Reformation (16th century) when most people couldn'tread and were largely uninformed about the current eventshappening outside their towns. Change is uncomfortable sochurches have kept the same format in place ever since.

2) To give a more contemporary explanation, preachers arethinking ahead to their podcast during which people can't interactanyway. Preachers of this sort have in their minds all the peopleacross the world who will be helped and inspired by their sermons, all the while leaving the people in their midstdisengaged.

3) The church already has an organized time for interaction anddiscussion through Sunday School classes or small groups/homegroups. This is the response I hear most often, so I answer hereby simply pointing out a few things:

a) Most of those extra-curricular groups are attended by lessthan 50% of church members.

b) People in general, and families in particular, are busier than ever and the time available to sit and get "chummy"with people you see once a week is quickly sliding down thelist of priorities for most Americans...yes, even ChristianAmericans.


12/24

c) Unless your church utilizes "sermon-based small groups"those who do attend those other formats are treated toANOTHER lesson that is based on a different topic than theone that covered in the sermon so their questions related tothe sermon are still left unanswered.

Whatever the reason, sermons must change to includeinteraction. Preachers cannot continue expecting competent andinformed people, who provide meaningful insights all week long attheir places of employment, to show up each week only to be told,"Thanks for coming, so glad you're here. Now sit down and bequiet."

However, I try to be a realist and I approach the element of interaction realistically. I'm well-aware that some people are inchurches that have followed the same order of service for the lasthundred years. For pastors in those settings, I believe acompromise can be struck on a looser meaning of interaction thanthe one I proposed above. In the looser meaning, I still insist that

you must give people a chance to voice their questions,objections, and needs for clarification, but instead of doing itduring the sermon, it should be done IMMEDIATELY after theworship service has concluded.

Either way, whether you interact in the sense of the primarymeaning or secondary meaning, the point remains:If you desire your sermons to be "stickier" you must interact withthose who are present by giving them a chance to speak and beheard.


13/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: ChallengeSermons that offer high platitudes, abstractideals, vague generalities, and trite clichsare fine if you want to leave "well-enough"alone. But they lack any semblance towhat we're calling "The Stickiness Factor"in this e-book.

In contrast, sticky sermons call attention towhat's happening "in the fray." They point

to a peculiar God, and summon specific people with a concretechallenge that can be appropriated in particular ways.

The specific people I have in mind are those who identifythemselves as the people of God - those members of the churchwho have committed to contribute within the local congregationand are present week after week. These are the people who haveembraced the identity and vocation of being Christian as the path

to life (in the next element, kerygma, well look at how to addressthose who don't fit this description).

Those who gather are inundated with other voices during theweek. The voices are not those of innocent bystanders, but rather they are the voices of those with vested interest in the dollars,time, and efforts of the Christian believer. And rest assured, inways that are not nearly as dramatic as the story of Jesus beingtested in the wilderness to go the easier way, those voices arepromising more for less - all that's required is the embrace of anew, corresponding identity and vocation.

Despite those voices, the faithful return to this God and this


14/24

community to express their worship and be convinced all over again of the truthfulness of the message we proclaim. All thisshould serve as notice: the presence of alternative truth-claimsabout what's real and what is not, each backed up as they arewith their own sacred texts and ways of being, reinforces theurgency and boldness required to issue a concrete challenge inthe act of preaching.

What I mean by "challenge" is the summons to live in ways thatare congruent with the mission and message of Jesus for theworld. This concept is unpacked in detail by Walter Brueggemann,who writes, "I understand preaching to be the chance to summonand nurture an alternative community with an alternative identity,vision, and vocation, preoccupied with praise and obediencetoward the God we Christians know fully in Jesus of Nazareth" (The Word Militant, 56, italics his).

So I want to offer two ways that the challenge can take shape:

1) Prophetic Redescription Every member of the church is involved in different levels of accommodation, as it relates to a life-world that is incongruentwith the mission and message of Jesus. This should not beautomatically attributed to disobedience because some peoplesimply don't know there's another way to think or act in particular situations. In fact, many people have attended the church'sworship gatherings for a decade and, because the sermons havesimply reinforced the dominant culture of our time (whichsociologist Christian Smith has termed, Moralistic TherapeuticDeism) they have never been made aware of any subversiveimplications brought about by their identity and vocation as aChristian.


15/24

Therefore, to quote Brueggemann once again, "The task of thepreacher is to exhibit this particular narrative script of the Bibleand to show how and in what ways life will be reimagined,redescribed, and relived if this narrative is embraced" ( The Word Militant, 32).

2) Public Testimony This aspect of the challenge takes seriously the pluralism of our day. The Christian message is not the only offer of life that peopleencounter. The content of the testimony, therefore, must bespecific rather than universal, and persuasive rather thandisaffected.

By specific, I mean pointing to something to which can beconcretely known; and by persuasive, I mean explaining the storyin such a way that people are drawn into it and want to be a partof it themselves.

Testimony was a central part of the faith communities that are

highlighted in the Bible. Over and over again we are met with theinstructions to "Tell of God's great deeds." It is, indeed, thispeculiar God who creates life from barren wombs (Genesis 21:1-7), sets slaves free from captivity (Exodus 15:20-21), and givesbread from heaven to those starving in the wilderness (Exodus16:13-18), to name a few things. And so the people of God arecalled upon as witnesses in a public courtroom, as it were, totestify to any and everyone that "The Lord has done great thingsfor us" (Psalm 126:3).

Christian theology asserts that God is both transcendent andimmanent, both beyond us and with us. To leave God "above thefray" is to neglect a major facet of who God has disclosed himself


16/24

to be. If the immanence of God is neglected long enough, your sermons will divulge into the lofty platitudes that leave peopleunmoved, unchallenged, and unchanged.

Instead, use your sermon as an opportunity to point to a peculiar God, and summon specific people with a concrete challenge thatcan be appropriated in particular ways.


17/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: KerygmaKerygma is not a word that is on everyone's lips these days. So I'llstart off by giving a little background about what it means andwhat I mean by including it in the list of elements that increase"The Stickiness Factor" of a sermon.

My first encounter with theword kerygma came in ATheology of the New Testament by GeorgeLadd. In that book, heidentifies kerygma as:"[T]he early church'sproclamation of Christ" (p.10).

Granted, a quick tripthrough church history will yield a few variations on the meaning

of the word - some highlighting this or that particular aspect; butfor our present purposes, this simple description gets us going inthe right direction.

Kerygma (pronounced "ker-ig-ma") is a Greek word, which, inverb form, refers to a proclamation or announcement. In later Christian theological discourse, the word took the shape of anoun. It was used as shorthand for the irreducible claims of Christianity, which were made from its earliest days.

When the verb form and the noun form are joined, the word takeson a whole new layer of meaning. So it's within reason to offer apresent-day, working-definition of the Christian Kerygma as:


18/24

The lean proclamation that emerges when the historicalevents that converged on Jesus are systematized andinvested with theological significance.

Every proclamation or announcement (Christian or otherwise) hasan aim, a goal, an agenda, something it seeks to accomplish as aresult of people hearing the utterance. The Christian Kerygma isno different. Its aim is for all people everywhere to "confess withtheir mouths that 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in their hearts thatGod raised him from the dead, so as to be saved" (see Romans10:9). The kerygma achieves what it set out to do when, on thebasis of the proclamation, people turn from their customary waysof thinking, being, and doing, and replace them with ways that arecongruent with new life in the Kingdom of God.

So the kerygma was part of early Christianity's proclamationabout Jesus, and they used that proclamation to bring aboutrepentance and faith in those who heard it. But what can we sayabout the content of the Christian Kerygma?

Another way to ask the question is: What did the early Christiansproclaim to the non-Christians about the theological significanceof the historical events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection?

C.H. Dodd attempted to answer that question by filling up thecontent of the Christian Kerygma using early New Testamentrecords of preaching from the Apostles Paul and Peter.

On the basis of his conclusions, I insist that the ancient ChristianKerygma was comprised of five basic propositions (rooted in OldTestament Expectations):


19/24

1) "The Age to Come" has been inaugurated in the midst of the"Present Evil Age."

2) This has happened through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah ( Christos in Greek, which means, "anointedone").

3) Through his resurrection, this Jesus has been vindicated,exalted, and enthroned at the right hand of God the Father as "theChrist," the rightful Lord of the world.

4) The Holy Spirit is the present sign of Christ's presence andpower among us.

5) The "Age to Come" will reach its consummation when Christ isrevealed from heaven, at which time all the living and dead will be

justly judged.

Then, on the basis of these 5 statements, an appeal is made for

people to "repent, believe, and be baptized."Therefore, I place kerygma in the list of elements that make for asticky sermon because preachers are not merely to drone on withbare facts about what did or didn't happen. Rather, they mustseek to explain the significance of the historical eventssurrounding Jesus in a way that can convince and convert thosewho are presently standing outside the community of Christianfaith.

Whereas the previous element -"Challenge" - was posed to"insiders," the kerygma is the directed toward "outsiders." It mustbe noted, though, that this is only one element of a sticky sermon.


20/24

Despite the tendencies of some pastors/churches/denominations,we must remember that this is NOT the main element or the onlyelement of the sermon. But also, despite the tendencies of other pastors/churches/denominations, we must remember that it is anelement nonetheless.

Two Possible Objections :

1) Isn't that intolerant?

My Response: No. I'm approaching the sermon and the kerygma element within it as being given at a particular time in a particular setting, which is decidedly NOT on a street corner - or anywhereelse - to disinterested passersby.

Further, when people who are not Christians show up in the midstof Christians who are gathered for worship, they are not expectinga music concert, a tailgate party, a coffeehouse conversation(though some sort of planned interaction is certainly a good thing),

or anything else of the sort. And if they are expecting those typesof experiences, they won't be around for long because neither thechurch's purpose nor its budget can sustain such things for verylong.

Instead, they show up at a Christian church because they want toknow about the God whom Christians worship as the one trueGod. The Christian Kerygma meets people where they are,speaks in terms they understand, and allows them to walk away inunrepentant unbelief is they so desire. That is not intolerant.

2) Must the Christian Kerygma be so specific?


21/24

My Response: Yes. In a time in which many Americans - includingchurchgoing Americans - have embraced Gnosticism in its harder and softer forms, Bahai (even if they dont call it that), and variousforms of deism, it matters that we are clear on the content of whatwe, as Christians, believe transpired theologically in the historicalevents surrounding Jesus and the difference it makes for ustoday.

If we fail to do so, we will unwittingly present a watered-downgospel that leaves everything "as-is." William Willimon, a UnitedMethodist Bishop in Alabama, points this out. In his book, TheGospel for the Person Who Has Everything , he insists, "AsChristians, as the church, we have demanded so little....We havetransformed the faith into an insipid souffl' with all air and nonourishment, a sweet placebo which cures nothing because itchallenges no one....This dull, domesticated, impotent version of the faith is a heresy which mocks the Christianity for which peopleonce bled" (p. 59).


22/24

Elements of a STICKY Sermon: YearningFor this element, I have in mind the deliveryof the sermon. The light-hearted flippancythat characterizes many sermons todaydoes little to cause people to take inventoryof their lives (the whole integration of thoughts and actions related to vocation,occupation, recreation, relationships, andfinances) and realign them with the dreamof God.

Our time is one of increased "spirituality" in which the humanisticarrogance of modernity, which sought to pave concrete over allmystery and grandeur (except for that which pointed to our ownassumed excellencies), is giving way to an increased awarenessthat human beings are more than the sum total of our biologicalparts. The upshot of this, though, is that people are grasping on toanything that has even the scene of "the divine."

Therefore, the present eagerness of people to embracespirituality must be matched by an equally authenticearnestness of the preacher, by which he asserts what theChristian message is, why it matters, and how it makessense.

Charles Spurgeon, known as the "Prince of Preachers" in 19thcentury London, once told his ministry students, "If I were asked -What in a Christian minister is the most essential quality for securing success in winning souls for Christ? I should reply,'earnestness': and if I were asked a second or third time, I shouldnot vary the answer, for personal observation drives to the


23/24

conclusion that, as a rule, real success is proportionate to thepreacher's earnestness" ( Lectures to My Students, 305).

John Piper, who embodies this idea, echoes the words of Spurgeon. He writes, "I want to give as strong a conviction aswords can convey that the work of preaching is to be done inblood-earnestness" ( The Supremacy of God in Preaching, 54).

What he calls "blood-earnestness," he later brands as "gravity."What's all this talk about blood, earnestness, and gravity?

Piper explains, "Intensity of feeling, the weight of argument, adeep and pervading solemnity of mind, a savor of the power of godliness, fervency of spirit, zeal for God - these are the marks of the 'gravity of preaching'" ( Ibid., 54). This is also what I have inmind when I say "yearning."

This yearning for God to be glorified through the joyous obedienceof his people was a hallmark of sticky preaching in the bygone era

of the 17th and 18th centuries.There's a story in circulation of a man who comes across DavidHume, the 18th century philosopher, on the street one day inLondon. The man asked Hume where he was headed. Humereplied that he was going to hear George Whitefield preach. "Butsurely," his acquaintance asked, "you don't believe whatWhitefield preaches, do you?" "No, I don't, " answered Hume, "buthe does" (John Stott, Between Two Worlds, 269-270).

There is a direct connection between the conveyance of sincere passion and deep thought and sermons that resonatewith people, draw them in, and keep them engaged.


24/24

There are many people among us whose lives consist of movingfrom one amusement to the next - paying, playing, and payingsome more. For those who recognize that such a strategy for lifeoffers a truncated version of lasting joy, an encounter with amessage of love, restoration, and hope that calls them tosomething greater than themselves will be a welcome off-rampback to "the land of the living."

People do not respond in meaningful ways to bare facts or triteslogans. Bare facts rarely make their way into the heart, and triteslogans rarely hold up in the face of trials. Instead, peoplerespond when thoughtful arguments for truth are deliveredwith sincere passion and nuanced clarity, and supplementedwith a life of humble authenticity to match.

The people of God assemble to hear a holy utterance thatreshapes life for some, and reaffirms life for others. The thing theyare not there to hear is a comedy routine full of meaningless one-liners.

So, as a pastor, you must use the sermon as an opportunity toplead and call for people to believe, become, and do that whichbrings honor and glory to God. To do anything less is to wasteyour breath and their time.

Sticky Sermons

Documents

Transcript of Sticky Sermons