I was talking with another pastor and he mentioned that he loves whenever he can fit a Star Wars illustration into one of his sermons. I feel the same way, but not just about Star Wars. There are lots of nerdclinations that I enjoy slipping into my sermons: Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, video games, Twitter, X-Men and plenty of others. It’s only natural that a pastor would use areas of his or her interest to illustrate a sermon. These areas of interest can become “pet illustrations” for the pastor and can make regular appearances. Here are some ways to identify your pastor’s pet illustrations.
Frequency
The best way to tell if your pastor has a pet illustration is the frequency with which he or she uses it. If your pastor constantly uses baseball analogies, then he or she probably really likes baseball. If everything has to do with “hitting a homerun” or just “getting on base,” there is a baseball nerd standing in the pulpit. My pastor really loves golf so he is always making golf analogies, talking about the Masters and Phil Mickelson. Just because your pastor uses Tiger Woods for an illustration, though, doesn’t mean he or she likes golf; chances are the sermon is about second chances, unwise choices or David and Bathsheba.
I like to kill two pet illustrations with one stone and use Tiger Woods and alternate universe Spock at the same time.
Excitement
How excited does your pastor get when he or she uses an illustration? If a pastor uses an illustration that seems to excite and energize him or her, then chances are it is a pet illustration. If your pastor loves the NBA then you will see the excitement when he or she makes an analogy about Judas doing to Jesus what LeBron did to Cleveland. When we talk about what we care about, we get excited. I can’t help but get excited when talking about Star Wars because I love Star Wars; it has been a part of my life longer than anyone but my family. If someday, though, I’m forced to make an illustration about Twilight, the lack of excitement will be evident.
“God doesn’t want you to be lukewarm, he wants you to be useful, either hot or cold. It does no good to stand in the middle like Bella. You need to choose today if you will be Team Jacob or Team Edward.”
I just threw up on my keyboard.
Knowledge
There’s nothing worse than when a pastor tries to make an illustration but ends up screwing it up because of a lack of knowledge. If your pastor screws up an analogy then you definitely know it is not one of his or her pet illustrations.
“Sometimes in our spiritual growth we don’t always have to go for a touchdown when a field goal will do. If you can’t score 7 points, you might as well try for 4.”
“And there will be moments when God shows up right on time, right when we need it most. Like when Luke Skywalker flew the Millennium Falcon to destroy the Death Star.”
“The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; it’s like someone rolled a 5 and sent the Catan thief into your life.”
If your pastor ever makes a mistake like that in an illustration, it would be best to gently inform him or her of the mistake. If you or no one else is willing to do that, though, come back for another service and see if he or she makes any worse mistakes.
It’s challenging for pastors who speak on a weekly basis to keep their sermons fresh and engaging. Obviously the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with engaging and penetrating hearts, but the pastor needs to do his or her due diligence. Captivating illustrations go a long way in vividly communicating the message and every pastor has one or two pet illustrations. Using the above criteria, try to discern your pastors pet illustrations. When you do, though, strike up a conversation about the topic with your pastor and get to know the person behind the pulpit.
What pet illustrations have you noticed your pastor using?
0 comment