Comprehend High, Communicate Low

The tendency of preachers from my neck of the woods (theologically minded, seminary trained, book readers) is to preach in such a way as to impress our seminary professors or theological heroes or favorite authors–none of whom are actually sitting in front of us as we preach. And as a result, we end up failing to connect with the very people God has called us to bring his Good News to.

I like to say that preachers are called to comprehend high and communicate low. Read, study, think, wrestle (comprehend high). But then distill everything big that you learn in easy to understand words and sentences (communicate low). As J.I. Packer has said, “God has called us to feed sheep, not giraffes.” It was Luther’s commitment to put God’s word into the everyday, average language of the ordinary person that launched the Reformation.

In other words, avoid this: