{"id":1565,"date":"2015-02-03T21:56:46","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T02:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/?p=1565"},"modified":"2021-03-09T10:01:37","modified_gmt":"2021-03-09T15:01:37","slug":"super-bowl-commercials-and-sermons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pts.edu\/blog\/super-bowl-commercials-and-sermons\/","title":{"rendered":"The One Super Bowl Commercial That Will Show up in Sermons\u2014and Whether It Should"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don\u2019t preach every Sunday anymore, so I didn\u2019t watch the Super Bowl looking for sermon illustrations in the commercials. In fact, I didn\u2019t even watch the whole thing, my allegiance to Downton Abbey being too strong (which is a better source for sermon material, anyway\u2014but that\u2019s a subject for another post).<\/p>\n

I did watch long enough to learn, finally, who Katy Perry is, and to see a few touching, some funny, and a couple crude commercials. And though I don\u2019t preach regularly, my sermon-material antennae are still up out of habit. One commercial seemed especially to be begging, \u201cPreach about me!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Coca-Cola commercial<\/a> began with flickering images of hate-filled messages being sent across the internet and social media. The words flash across the screen: looser, ugly, stupid, hate. A man in anger kicks his computer off his desk.<\/p>\n

We connect with him; we know how he feels. We are tired of hate.<\/p>\n

Then a distracted Internet server technician spills a Coke into the server and the effervescent happiness that is Coke begins to spread throughout the world, as if through the Internet. Computers begin to glow with healing colors; arguing political pundits being watched online become friends; the rejected feel a sense of connection. A message sent to a lonely boy on a bus\u2014\u201cNo one likes U\u201d\u2014suddenly becomes\u2014\u201cThere\u2019s no one like U.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the preacher, spying intimations of the Gospel, begins to read the commercial allegorically: the hatefulness of sin that infects our lives and our culture is transformed by the spreading power of love unleashed when Christ\u2019s blood was spilled. Hate is transfigured. Those who are alienated, feeling liked by no one\u2014not least God\u2014discover that in God\u2019s forgiving eyes, \u201cThere\u2019s no one like U.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, as they say, that\u2019ll preach.<\/p>\n

The question is: Should it?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m afraid we preachers hunger so much for our sermons to connect with our congregations that we too quickly, and uncritically, borrow from popular culture, without asking ourselves: Will this really help me say what the Gospel wants to say to these people?<\/p>\n

Veteran teacher of preaching Tom Long warns in general of the reductive effect of sermon illustrations. An illustration is meant to shed light on something because of a perceived equality or similarity.<\/p>\n

Do we really want to say: The Gospel is like Coca-Cola? Do we really want to say: Spread the love of Christ the way Coca-Cola spreads happiness throughout the world? Do we really want to dignify the world of consumerism by using it to \u201cshed light\u201d on the Gospel? The short-term gains\u2014the perception of relevance and few nods of recognition\u2014might be outweighed by distorting effects of the comparison.<\/p>\n

This might be a better way: Use the Coca-Cola commercial to unmask the idolatry of consumption.<\/p>\n

This company will spend millions of dollars a minute to convince you that happiness, meaning, and belonging are a Coke-machine away. That the fizzy goodness of Coke cascading down your throat will not only make you feel good, but will connect you to everyone else around the world thirsting for the same solution to their problems\u2014a solution that can be bought.<\/p>\n

When what the Gospel offers is something quite different\u2014not a purchased solution to problems, but the invitation into a new way of life, with a new group of people, whose life together, over time, orients them to the worship of the only One who can help them discover the real worth of their lives. And that their deepest problems involve looking for solutions in the wrong places. Quick solutions they too often think they can buy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no longer a comparison; now it\u2019s a contrast that allows us to tell both the truth about the consumerist lie, and the truth about the Gospel.<\/p>\n

A truth that\u2019ll preach.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Dr. L. Roger Owens is associate professor of leadership and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and teaches courses in the MDiv, Doctor of Ministry, and Continuing Education programs. Before coming to PTS he served urban and rural churches for eight years as co-pastor with his wife Ginger.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I don\u2019t preach every Sunday anymore, so I didn\u2019t watch the Super Bowl looking for sermon illustrations in the commercials. In fact, I didn\u2019t even watch the whole thing, my allegiance to Downton Abbey being too strong (which is a better source for sermon material, anyway\u2014but that\u2019s a subject for another post). I did watch…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[79,78,77],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministry","category-theological-reflection","tag-consumption","tag-sermon-illustration","tag-super-bowl-commericials"],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe One Super Bowl Commercial That Will Show up in Sermons\u2014and Whether It Should - 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