Sermons can move you and mountains too

Opinion. The views expressed are the author’s own.

I have friends who have spent days working on their next sermon. It is hard work to conceive a group of words that may, hopefully will transform the congregation and make the establishment of “the Kingdom” more a reality. Sermons are much like the pep talk of an employer to his/her employee’s, attempting to inspire, unite and direct their attention and effort. A word to the wise, a hint and suggestion that could spike memories of a better time, or energize the listeners hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow.

I was trained in public speaking, with the pivotal notion that a speaker must attract the attention of listeners and hold them long enough to perhaps set a seed of thought within their minds. George Washington was a melancholy fellow with no desire to publicly speak, yet he was able to inspire an army and nation towards greatness. How? He spoke from his heart allowing his mind to capture the thoughts of his listeners. He knew what they needed to hear. History shows that in events of historic peril there have been men and women capable of capturing the public attention long enough to inspire heroic and empathetic deeds. A few word along with inspiring actions can transform an individual, a group or a nation.

The sermon on the mount caught the gathered crowds attention while the miracle of feeding such a large crowd sealed the deal. There is no better way to ignite another’s attention than feeding them, setting the seed of fellowship and need. Finding those few key words is vital in any sermon. In fact if you do not have this you will find most congregants asleep at the switch or ready to run away. A failure you do not wish to be. there for a vital sermon can take quite a while to be shaped and formed.

Have you ever been inspired by a sermon, speech or story told? You remember them don’t you, and in some cases you incorporate their message into your thoughts and life pathways. This cannot happen unless you do one thing, something that many of us have forgotten to do. LISTEN! Internalize and think about what you have heard. There are messages out there on social media, news papers, private messaging that is wrongful and destructive to you and your neighbors and you can simply not recognize this at first.

I remember the story of a stout family man living in Hamilton who watched the news each day during an election. The opposition were right wing extremists not afraid to announce their true attentions to the public. when it was time to vote he stayed home to watch television. The next morning he awoke to a disturbing image on his beloved T.V. Soldiers goose steeping in Ottawa was what he saw. The extremists won the election and took over the government establishing a dictatorship. He could only think that his one vote could have made a difference but it was to late. He did not understand or pay attention to the signs openly and obviously seen before the election. He did not listen, think about and act upon the information given. He had become a useful idiot.

Sermons are often stories, as most religion seem to be of a person or event told relevantly. Stories can have power depending upon their messaging. Aboriginals have incorporated story telling into their spirituality, telling a story that should incorporate the listeners to their current reality. Early Greek Philosophers philosophized using the short story as way to get their message across to their listeners.

Whether a story is able to set the seed of knowledge into the listeners mind, or in fact transform the listeners thoughts into lived action the story is the most powerful form of communication we have seen. Sermons, although often religiously inclined are stories whose main purpose is to bring the listener closer to the Divine. It is within the story that the Divine gains strength of purpose and existential reality.

Next time you go to Church, Synagogue or Temple listen, learn and live your faith. Even atheists love a good story and find substance of thought within a story told.

Steven Kaszab lives in Bradford, Ont.