Preaching in Pictures: Using Images for Sermons That Connect

by Peter Jonker

Overview

The preachers’ words are meant to connect, to resonate with and influence hearers. Too often, sermons fall short. Preaching in Pictures: Using Images for Sermons that Connect shows how to choose, use, and illustrate a controlling image in every sermon. Readers learn how one effective image can cause the proclaimed word to sink in and transform the listener. Peter Jonker helps readers to build skill and confidence, with practical instruction, examples, and straightforward teaching. “Good preaching isn’t just the dissemination of information; it is a conduit of Spirit-empowered formation. Such formative preaching doesn’t convince the intellect; it captures the imagination. A controlling image has the power to do just this—to capture the imagination. Peter Jonker invites preachers to understand and to effectively use controlling images for formation of the hearer. This great book is erudite and accessible, theoretically grounded and yet intensely practical, complete with exercises. I’ll be pointing preachers to it from now on.” —James K.A. Smith, author of Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation “Preaching in Pictures opened eyes of my imagination. I can’t wait to write my next sermon.” —Heidi DeJonge Pastor, Westside Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, Kingston, Ontario “Peter Jonker offers preachers practical ways to connect the gospel in the hearts of listeners, with a wealth of helpful examples. This is a fresh and welcome perspective, just the book for preachers whose sermons have reached their shelf life and are in need of new energy.” —John Michael Rottman, Professor of Preaching Calvin Theological Seminary “Sane, balanced, assured—but also strikingly insightful—Peter Jonker's writing is a sheer gift to anyone interested in eventful preaching. Every page is worth pondering. Jonker writes with great verve and authority.” —Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Author of Reading for Preaching: The Preacher in Conversation with Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, and Journalists

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426781926
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	05/19/2015
Series:	Artistry of Preaching Series
Pages:	150
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

After an idyllic Canadian childhood in Kingston, Ontario, Peter Jonker now resides in Grand Rapids Michigan where he is currently the Minister of Preaching and Worship at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church. Before that he was pastor at Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church, also in Grand Rapids. He is married with three teenage children.

Table of Contents

Series Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 The Controlling Image 1

Taming the Beautiful Mess 1

In Defense of Sermon Craft 4

The Sermon Theme and Its (Limited) Uses 5

Adding a Goal Statement 8

Imagination: Where Change Happens 10

Images as Agents of the Imagination 13

Images and Stories at Work 15

Preachers Reaching for the Imagination 16

Beyond Theme and Purpose: The Four Pages 19

The Importance of a Controlling Image 21

A Tool for Imaginative Preaching: The Controlling Image Statement 22

2 Controlling Images: A Field Study 25

An Example of a Controlling Image 26

Controlling Images: Both Static and Kinetic 29

Sermons Propelled by Controlling Phrases 32

Sermons Propelled by Controlling Images from Outside the Biblical Text 34

Sermons Propelled by Controlling Phrases from Outside the Biblical Text 37

Sermons Propelled by Controlling Images from Within the Biblical Text 38

Comparing Inside and Outside Images 40

Controlling Images Should Center on Either Trouble or Grace 42

Controlling Images and Sermon Tone 45

Conclusion 47

3 What Preachers Can Learn from Poets 49

Luminous Detail: Poets Using Images 50

A Poem's Trajectory: From Delight to Wisdom 52

Step 1 Delighted Sight 53

Step 2 Luminous Specificity 56

Step 3 Speak Wisdom 58

Poets and Preachers: Parallels and Differences 59

4 Learning from Marketers and Visual Artists 63

A Strong Image Puts People in a Story 65

Image Should Usually Come Before Explanation 69

A Good Image Must Be Properly Framed 72

5 How to Find a Controlling Image 77

Looking for a Controlling Image: Lectio Divina 78

The Steps of Lectio Divina 80

Looking for a Controlling Image: Poetic Exercises 83

Learning to See the Details 84

The Three Levels of an Image: Senses, Feeling, and Thought 86

Matching the Image to the Theme 89

Imagining a Hearer 91

6 Sermons and Image on Screens 95

Benefits of Presentational Technology 96

Concerns about Presentational Technology 97

Presentational Technology Is Here to Stay 98

Keep It Simple: One Theme, One Metaphor 99

The Controlling Image and Potential Screen Images 100

A Good Screen Image Needs You 103

Use Propulsive Images, Not Clichés 105

Icons as Images That Propel 106

Connotative and Denotative Images 110

Finding a Propulsive Picture 112

Pay Attention to Images and Context 115

Local Imagery 117

Develop Files of Images 119

Differences between Static Images and Video Clips 120

The Word Comes First 121

Conclusion 122

Notes 125

Bibliography 133