Speaker

Throughout my 20 years of preaching I've used hundreds of personal illustrations. So I'm a fan of hearing stories about your kids, your spouse, your funny mistakes, your pet Iguana, Lizzie … up to a point. Eventually I'll want to hear an illustration about something else, like a story from the Olympics, or a quote from the Harvard Business Review. Give me a humorous story about the "relativist's guide to skydiving." Tell what it was like for East Germans to see the Berlin Wall come down. Describe a recent ad from Mercedes Benz. Illustrations don't just entertain. They aren't just sermon fillers. They help your people connect Scripture with life—not just your life, but all of life. As Bryan Chapell says, "[Illustrations] exegete scripture in terms of human experience to create a whole-person understanding of God's Word."

So here's my encouragement: use a broad range of illustrations. Expand your hearers' vision for the relevance of God's Word. Use illustrations that help your people think "Christianly" about culture, science, sports, history, literature, business, current events, and humor. (By the way, all of the illustration examples in the above paragraph came from this week's update at PreachingToday.com.)

This week we're also rolling out our Holy Week and Easter resources—a fresh collection of sermons, skills articles, and illustrations about this incredible season of the church year. For starters, check out these new resources:

• Featured Illustration: Walls Keep People Out and Drive Us Crazy
• Featured Sermon: The Perfect Meal for Sinners By Matt Woodley
• Video (on sale): What We Can Learn from the Olympics

In Christ,

Matt Woodley
Managing Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.