preaching skill
The Annual Easter Challenge
Finding fresh ways to tell an old story
posted 03/23/07
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It should come as no great shock that Easter is a great opportunity to reach people who normally don't attend worship on a regular basis. Statistics show that while attendance goes way up on Easter, the spike is often short-lived and numbers revert soon after the big day is over. Such an opportunity should not be squandered with a "same old, same old" approach, especially when it comes to church visuals.
We've been designing worship media for twelve years, and every year we face the "Easter challenge." For us, it's been always been difficult to find new and fresh ways to creatively and visually present the familiar Easter story. Once you get past all of the standard imagery of empty tombs, crosses, and lilies, where do you go? Is it possible to create powerful multimedia for Easter that inspires, retains, and even transforms the influx of visitors who walk through our doors on that special Sunday morning? Obviously, we think this is not only possible, but also necessary.
Telling the story through metaphor
A great way to make this Easter all the more powerful is to use the technique of metaphor. Metaphor allows us to tell stories in ways that connect with the everyday experiences of individuals, believers and nonbelievers alike. We've come to define metaphor as a tangible way to express an abstract story, thought, or idea. Metaphor allows us to make the foreign familiar and puts the gospel into everyday language—both oral and visual.
Metaphor is sometimes perceived as an advertising industry buzzword with little or no place in worship. However, those who fail to explore the power of communication that comes through metaphor fail to understand that it was often the method used by Jesus during his public ministry.
In Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, the longest parable in the Gospels (vv. 3-9). Afterward, when the crowds had left and the disciples were alone with Jesus, the disciples revealed to him that they had no clue what he had been saying. He took the time to explain the entire parable to them, actually spending more time on the explanation than he had on the parable itself (vv. 10-20).
What is really interesting is what happens next. Instead of concluding that such a creative presentation of the good news didn't work, he continued to speak in parables, telling the parables of lamp on the stand (vv. 21-25), the growing seed (vv. 26-29), and the mustard seed (vv. 30-32).The best moment comes in verses 33 and 34: "With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything."
Jesus didn't simply use parables as an alternative for the "dumb ones" in the crowd. He understood that to communicate ideas with effectiveness, he had to present his teaching in a way that made sense to his audience. Our audiences today aren't any different. People listen best when spoken to in a familiar language. This is the essence of metaphor.
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Sola Ratione
If you're interested in a non-Christian perspective on a film (depicting the final days of Jesus) that was released online for Easter by Mark Driscoll's church (entitled "Who Killed God?"), please see here: http://rationesola.blogspot.com/2011/04/who-killed-god.html
Len Wilson
Curtis, Thanks for your concerns. I can see why you would feel this way. We do not deny the power of the cross. Our goal is to communicate the gospel in such a fashion that people move beyond their pre-conceived notions, or their confusion at the strangeness of the message, and hear it in a way that makes sense. If it is helpful, refer to Paul's ministry to the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16-33), where he used contemporary metaphors and even pagan poets to preach the gospel.
Curt
I get concerned that we are trying so hard to come up with different ways to present the Easter story that we lose the simplicity of the Gospel message. We have a tendency to make worship more about us and our feelings rather than about God. Worship is not about me it's about Him. I don't want to focus the totality of worship about how good I feel after I come out of worship, but rather on the fact that He has spoken, whether I feel good or not about what He has said. Conviction never feels good, but it is a necessary part of God speaking to us. There is no better way than the simple message of the Cross and the Word.
RENEE'
This totally different way to present the Easter message is awesome! If only more Pastors could see this through clear eyes, then it could be so effective, to stir a whole new meaning to the Easter morning message! Sadly, I must say that "our" Pastor, would never even consider NOT doing the "regular" yearly delivery of the Easter message. : ( What a shame, because our church, like most other churches, have SO many visitors on Easter Sunday, that don't even darken the doors of the church on any other Sunday of the entire year... Your idea is a splendid one and I commend you on your idea of delivering a "new" presentation of the Crucifixion Gospel message! Thank you all!!!
Buntinx
I just was impressed by the metaphor itself !
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