31 January 2009
I reckon you can learn loads about the way people listen, from kids. On Tuesdays I help lead a youth group at church. We have a short 10 minute talk each week in which we try and teach them something from the Bible. I've learnt a heap of stuff as I've seen the way the kids react to things, and what they particularly pick up on... or not.
Kids have hopelessly short attention spans. Those who come along to our youth group are not used to sitting in church at all - they all live on a council estate round the corner. They stop listening pretty quickly and they'll let you know - once they're bored they'll start looking round the room, poking the person next to them, talking amongst themselves, or beginning small brawls.
I don't think that's too different with adults. Yes, they're much more polite. They'll even cover their mouths when they yawn. But look at peoples eyes as a long sermon drags on, and you'll see that glazed look which says they're a million miles away. They're just like kids - they've got more pressing things to think about.
How do you tell people about Jesus, when they don't want to hear? Let's get practical here - I know it's the Holy Spirit who opens people's eyes, and gives them a thirst for God, but how do we use the gifts he's given us to communicate better?
The same I think applies to adults as to kids:
- Use words they understand - I've got to work on cutting out Christian jargon big time. I've started using a simpler translation of the Bible (like the CEV or the Message) as part of preparation - the vocabulary used (there's an unnecessarily complicated word right there!) is much easier to understand.
- Use visual aids - Pointing out the splinter in someone else's eye when you've actually got an actual plank in your own eye is far more powerful than just reading out the words.
- Get into the story - act it out if it's a parable, or narrative. People still have imaginations, so get them to use them!
- Keep it interactive - quite why we don't have more actual interactive questions in sermons, rather than just rhetorical ones is beyond me. Perhaps it because many congregations are just too big? It keeps people awake, and encourages them to engage.
- Use good humour - a funny example which illustrates something is much more memorable than a plain example. That's another one to work on...
The good news of Jesus is too good to go unheard simply because we're lame at getting it across. The word of God is living and active and sharp - let's not suffocate it or blunt it.
