PREACHING PYROTECHNICS
Why some illustrations work better than others.
Craig Brian Larson
April 1, 1992
At any Fourth of July fireworks display, some rockets capture more attention than others. There are the delicate sprays that gently "puffph," sending to one side a dozen streaks of red or blue. There are the dazzling sky-fillers that radiate spokes of fire into a gigantic wheel of light. Then there are, what I called as a boy, the "boomers." Their launch sounded a bit louder. I would spot a small flash in the sky; a moment later the intestine-vibrating concussion thundered over the golf course, kids squealing with ear-aching delight. Like fireworks on Independence Day, illustrations put light, color, and excitement into our sermons. They celebrate the sermon's ideas and principles. The small ones-allusions, analogies, and clever turns of phrase-are designed to support small points. But when we want to drive home the major theme, we best send up our most powerful and illuminating illustration. As a preacher and as editor of LEADERSHIP'S To Illustrate column, I've reviewed literally thousands of illustations, and I've noticed seven elements of the most powerful. Specific Rather than General
Being specific means saying Luger rather than weapon; '89 Taurus rather than vehicle; adultery rather than sin; the nails through Christ's palms rather than Christ's sufferings; Bob, the 45-yearold overweight Chicago detective with the scar on the back of his hand rather than the officer. The gunpowder is in specifics: the more precise the better. Terry Fullam, in his sermon "Life on Wings," tells how mother eagles force their young to fly. If he had spoken in generalities, he would have said, "When their fledglings are old enough, eagles actually destroy their own nest to force the offspring to fly." But Terry used specifics: "The mother eagle ...
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