Write Sermons for the Ear, Not for the Eye

By Chris Philbeck

One of the things I do from time-to-time is review sermon manuscripts for people looking for honest and constructive criticism. When I do, I try to remember these words from John Zehring in his book, Clergy Public Speaking Guide (Improve What You Already Do Well). “Consider the difference between writing a story for a newspaper and writing the same for radio. It is a different style of writing. People read the newspaper but listen to the radio. Likewise, people listen to your sermon. So a sermon must be written for the ear, not the eye.” Zehring goes on to talk about the practice of speaking your message out loud as you write it, to see how it sounds to you. He writes, “Imagine how it will be heard by your listeners. Rehearse it out loud before delivering it. Write for the ear, not for the eye.”  

A recent sermon I reviewed from James 4:13-17 contained these three important elements: Explanation, what you want the listener to know; illustration, how you want the listener to feel; and application, what you want the listener to do. But it was heavy on explanation. And while the illustration and application were written in a conversational way that would engage the listener, the explanation was a little too “wordy.” So I made some notes and rewrote (simplified) a few of the longer statements as examples of how they might be written for the ear, not the eye. In the end, this led to a great conversation with the sermon writer and, from my perspective, a great sermon. 

As simple as it sounds, when we talk to people (which is what we do when we preach), we don’t read to them, we have conversations. What does that mean. It means our sentences are shorter, and we speak in phrases with natural pauses between our thoughts. The tone of our voice and the pace of our words vary. The passion we feel about what we are saying rises and falls in appropriate measure. And we look the person or people we’re talking to in the eye because we’re having a conversation. Dean Kember, in his book, Effective Preaching: A Manual for Students and Pastors, says it like this:  

First, in speaking a restricted vocabulary is used. The speaker could multiply the range of meaning of common words by the proper use of facial expressions, gestures, and inflection. Second, public address is very concerned with how language sounds to the ear. What sounds good to a listener, especially restatement and repetition, would not be pleasing to a reader. Finally, words should be chosen carefully. Preachers are called to employ words that allow people to feel, smell, taste through the mind’s eye. 

The truth is written words can be reviewed over and over again. But once a word is spoken, it disappears, except in memory. So when writing a sermon, you have to find a way to make your words memorable. No one ever made their spoken words more memorable than Jesus. And while he did this in multiple ways, here are a few that stand out to me.  

Jesus asked questions. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” After they gave him different answers, he said in Matthew 16:15, “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (New International Version). In Mark 10:51, during an encounter with a blind man, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” In Luke 14:3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 

While none of these questions came in the form of a sermon, they all set the stage for Jesus to be able to provide an answer. Asking questions in a sermon can be powerful in helping the listener have a better understanding of themselves, a better understanding of what they need, and a better understanding of what’s true. All of which can make the message memorable. 

Jesus used repetition. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used the word blessed nine times in nine sentences to make his teaching on what true righteousness looks like memorable. Later in the same sermon he used the words, “You have heard that it was said. . . . But I tell you,” six different times to describe the difference between empty religion and righteousness that was real. In the Gospel of John, Jesus used the words, “I am,” seven different times to describe his identity and purpose. There’s power in repetition because repetition is the persuader of the mind, and what gets repeated gets remembered.  

Jesus told stories. Stories do many things. They connect us, they build bridges, they illustrate truth, but most of all, they make truth memorable. Whether it’s a story about a lost sheep, a lost coin, or a lost son (Luke 15), or a story about two houses that looked identical on the outside but were not the same because one foundation was built on sand while the other was built on rock (Matthew 7:24-27), stories make truth (words) memorable. Stories have the power to pull people in, keep them engaged and help them experience the transforming power of God.  

At the end of the day, preaching is a living transaction between the preacher and those who are listening; the words we speak must represent that truth. So, when you sit down to prepare a sermon, write for the ear, not the eye. The late Tim Keller described it like this: “In the end, preaching has two basic objects in view: the Word and the human listener. It is not enough to just harvest the wheat; it must be prepared in some edible form or it can’t nourish and delight. Sound preaching arises out of two loves—love of the Word of God and love of people—and from them both a desire to show people God’s glorious grace.”