Preaching and Visual Aids

Earlier this week Albert Mohler penned an insightful entry in his blog addressing "The State of Preaching Today". In addition to what he addresses there, I would make the following observation: Much of today's preaching lacks authority.

Some years ago my senior pastor gave this definition: "Preaching is the authoritative verbal public proclamation of the Word of God by an ordained man of God." Each word was carefully chosen and is essential to the full definition of what it means to stand before the gathered church and preach. While we may debate on some of the finer points such as what it means to be ordained, to remove any of the concepts from the definition is perilous.

I recently heard a sermon preached and afterward was asked to critique it. The text was appropriate, the thoughts expressed followed logically and naturally from the text, relevant application was made, but... it lacked authority. It came across more as a semi-formal talk and, while not stated as opinion, contained few if any hints even of "thus saith the Lord". This is not to criticize the delivery or demeanor of the pastor who gave the sermon; there was an essence missing in the content itself, that aroma of Christ and His truth being declared publicly and unashamedly.

Then it came to me, the other thing that was also missing. The Bible. Yes, it was there, but it wasn't there. The pastor had no Bible with him that I could observe; it certainly was not open before him on the pulpit. True enough, he read his text twice, once early on in the service and then at the beginning of his sermon. But he read it from his notes, not the Bible. You might wonder, isn't that enough? Isn't it sufficient to read God's Word aloud to the gathered church even if it isn't read from His Word? I think not, and for several reasons.

First, we have the example of Jesus Himself. In the description of what was very likely Jesus' first public sermon recorded in Luke 4, we are told that in the synagogue Jesus was handed a book of the Bible. He then carefully searched out His text, read it aloud, closed the book (scroll) and handed it back to the attendant. I am firmly convinced that Jesus had committed to memory the text of that prophecy which was fulfilled in their hearing that day. While He more than likely could have quoted it from memory, He chose instead to read from the scroll. If the Son of God Himself thought it proper to use a visual aid in His sermon, can we His humble servants do any less?

Which brings up the second reason. We humans are at least to some degree visual learners; there is much information we collect visually even in conversation with others. Think about how important "body language" is in communication. The power of the visual is clearly recognized by those who promote multimedia presentations for use in corporate worship. Jesus used an extremely powerful visual aid for the benefit of His hearers, showing by both word and act that what He was saying came from God's Word.

It is at this point that the issue of authority in preaching begins to take form. If the preacher is speaking only his own words flowing from his own thoughts and opinions, there is a definite limit to how much authority he can command over his audience. But if he is proclaiming the Word of God from the Word of God, then there is a much different authority present - that of the Author of those words, God Himself. The physical visible presence of God's Word before the people is a valuable and, I believe, an essential reminder of the true source of authority in preaching. True preaching is authoritative because the message that is faithful to the Word of God is accompanied by the authority of God and it is impossible for that essence not to be apparent.

Just as important is the third reason: the preacher stands in just as much need of the visual aid as anyone else in the church. It may seem like a small thing, to succumb to the convenience of including the Biblical text in the preacher's notes and forgo the hassle of carrying a Bible into the pulpit. But it is one less reminder that God's Word is central and essential to effective and authoritative preaching. It is also a huge step in the direction of no Biblical text at all or only brief and incidental references to such. Further, the open Bible there on the pulpit is an essential reminder that what is proclaimed must be faithful to God's Word, that the preacher is the servant of God and not man or self.

I know, it may all seem so trivial. But whether the minister reads the text from the Bible, closes it and puts it away under the pulpit and proceeds to read the sermon from her notes or if he reads his text from his notes, the result is that God's Word has visually been pushed into the background. Human nature being what it is, and the fact that things lead to things, it is only a matter of time until God's Word is completely out of the picture.

If the church is to regain her vitality and become once again a force shaping the culture, it will be the result of authoritative preaching that is faithful in every respect to the Word of God.

By His grace,
Sundoulos