The feeling part of our brains uses strong emotions — including the emotions that trigger smiles and laughter-to saturate our consciousness with vivid impressions that result in greater retention of the message. Humor is different, though, from telling jokes. Our advice is: don't tell jokes. Leave the jokes to comedians. Too often preachers try to be funny by telling jokes, and they flop for numerous reasons. The slightest variation in timing can ruin a joke. A single misplaced word can destroy a punch line. Telling a joke that everyone knows or that another preacher told recently just makes you look silly. Jokes are not the best way to be humorous, but the ability to laugh at oneself, at the world around you, or at the human condition can really open your audience to like you. Remember that comedy is not your goal, but connection is. You just want to put your listeners at ease so they get the message of the text. Find your natural sense of humor and put it to use.

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Analogies

A powerful way to make your sermon memorable and picturesque is to use analogies like Jesus did. Jesus used earthy analogies to describe heavenly truths. What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is like a man sowing, a pearl of great price, a mustard seed. A rich man getting into heaven is like a camel going through the eye of a needle. Jesus is the shepherd, the door, the bread, the water.

Whenever Jesus used an analogy, he fixed an image in the minds of his audience that would not soon go away. Analogies are like hinges on which the doors of our minds swing. (There is an example of one right there!)

Analogies provide a simple eloquence that can help speakers of limited vocabulary express themselves powerfully and at the same time can help listeners comprehend and grasp meaning. An analogy is a one-line illustration, a porthole of light illuminating your message and pegging it to your listener's memory.

References

If you want to lead your listeners to really hear and to accept your message, learn to use references effectively. References can either appeal to commonly accepted knowledge, reminding an audience of generally accepted facts, or they can lend support to your point of view by appealing to the authority or wisdom of others.

Jesus frequently referred to the Old Testament because it is God's inspired Word, recognized as such by the Jews, and the revelation of God's will. His ministry was saturated with Old Testament references used as an appeal to authority. Jesus often exposed the erroneous thinking of his contemporaries by citing the Old Testament. This lent support and authority to his message. When the Sadducees criticized his preaching of the resurrection, Jesus quoted the familiar Old Testament declaration that the Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that as such he is the God of the living, not of the dead.

Jesus also used references to establish commonly accepted views that needed correction, too. In the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, Jesus followed the formula, "You have heard it said . . . but I say unto you." In this way Jesus was reminding them of some beliefs that needed correction.