The New York Times article “How to Focus Like It’s 1990” says our collective attention spans have been decreasing since 2004. We literally switch our focus in seconds. The younger generations are even worse. Marketing experts say advertisers lose Gen Z’s attention after just 1.3 seconds. You can blame it on technology or social media, but we have to find creative ways to get and keep people’s attention.
Many preachers feel the pressure too. Some have resorted to expensive and high-tech gimmicks to illustrate their sermon points. Not too long ago, a popular preacher went viral for rubbing his spit into his brother’s eyes to illustrate Jesus healing the blind man in Mark 8:22-26. The preacher was able to get and keep our attention, but it was mostly negative attention. The message caused mostly controversy instead of capturing hearts for Jesus.
So how do we do it? How do we get and keep people’s attention when we are competing with cell phones, TikTok videos that make excellent points in two minutes or less, social media, and churches with budgets to transform their entire pulpit into a raging sea (I’ve seen this done)? I believe Samuel D. Proctor gives us some insight in The Certain Sound of the Trumpet. He says, “The sermon is different from other staged events because it seeks to tilt life Godward, to encourage us to answer as we are addressed by God. It has a perpendicular aspect to it, lifting the horizontal, mundane, pedestrian issues of living toward the face of God. It recognizes that we were born to live more than a one-dimensional existence. It urges the listener to see all of life in the light of God’s presence, God’s person, and God’s power, and not merely in the light of our limited, finite capacity or in the light of our brief sojourn here” (pgs. 9-10).
What separates our preaching from all other public events is God. It’s the Holy Spirit. It’s the power of God working in and through us. It’s our attempt as the Body of Christ to hear from heaven and provide answers to the mysteries of life. Yes, we can be creative with how we present the word. I believe we should embody the preached word. The word should become flesh through our presentation. We should make use of technology by incorporating it into our sermons, and we should be mindful that we only have a few seconds to capture the congregation’s attention. I believe we can capture people’s attention if we speak to the issues of their hearts. Whether the world recognizes it, there is value in the preached word (1 Corinthians 1:21). If the preacher is faithful to the task and spiritually disciplined, we will hear a word from on high. This is what separates the pulpit from its competitors.
In John 6:67, after many disciples turned away from Jesus’ “difficult teaching,” Jesus asks the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” Peter replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” We must keep up with the times to capture and keep the attention of people without resorting to gimmicks. However, I believe if the preacher is faithful to God’s word, the people will recognize it and like Peter be compelled to pay attention because they’ll know they’ll receive the words of eternal life.