I made this letter very long, because I did not have the time to make it short.
Blaise Pascal
I was always told, "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." In other words, figure out what you want to say, and say it.
Sounds simple, right? With preaching and teaching God's Word, though, I have found it an enormous struggle.
When a passage is unclear to me, I often respond by piling on words. I figure if I talk more, the meaning will eventually become clear. Right? Wrong! I have found over the years that the more I say, the less people actually remember. You see, it is true - a mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew!
The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?
Ecclesiastes 6. 11 (NIV)
I have found two helpful practices for me as I strive for clarity:
- Summarize the point of my study/passage/sermon in one sentence. If I can't, no one else will be able to either!
- Once I have all my notes completed, go back and remove 25% of what I've written. Honestly, I usually find that I didn't actually need them.
"To make easy things seem hard is easy,
but to make hard things easy is the office of a great preacher."
Clarity. Being clear. Explaining a passage in a way that is true to the text, winsome to the ear, and memorable to the mind.
Let's put in the hard work of understanding a text to enable others to understand what is being said. Let's strive for clarity.
You know what I mean?!
Great reminder, Mark! Sometimes long sermons are heralded as the faithful ones, but I often agree that the shorter ones generally are more memorable.
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you know where that Pascal quote is from? I've been trying to track that one down for ages!
Peter, I found it referenced in a series of letters Pascal wrote (in French) in 1657 called “Lettres Provinciales”.
DeleteAs I read this, it just gives me a greater appreciation for the way the Apostle Paul wrote. As compared to today, where paper is abundantly available, Paul was forced to exercise extreme discipline and patience in his writing because there was no other way to do it. It's what makes his writings, especially Romans, so incredibly powerful. I once heard a pastor describe Romans by saying that "Paul's sentences in Romans bend under the power of words." It's so true.
ReplyDeleteClarity is very important in sermons and teachings, but its just as important in our own testamony. In those opportunities that I do take in sharing my faith, I often find myself trying to bolster it with "theology" or "doctrine" that often times I end up misleading/confusing my audience and forgetting how personal my testamony is. Clarity requires discipline, patience and hard work to achieve.
I agree with Peter, a Great Reminder (especially for those - like me - who have a habit of being "wordy").
Great thoughts, Adam. Thanks!
ReplyDelete