Tangible Sermon Reminders
Mar 12th by Jon- Tagged in:
- Guest Post
(John Crist, you fantastic, completely unexpected guest poster. This showed up in my email one day, and I thought it was very true and very funny. I hope you do too.)
For those of us that have been to a Christian conference, retreat or youth camp in the last decade, we know the power of the Tangible Sermon Reminder. The TSR usually occurs when multiple speakers are up against each other, all vying for your inordinately short attention span and space in your pre-worn journal. We’ve all been victim of the TSR and it usually takes the form of a small, post-sermon giveaway that is meant to drive home the sermons’ main point.
As Christians, we don’t remember any of the sermons we’ve heard in the last ten years but I ALWAYS remember the TSRs.
Traditionally, the TSR comes in many forms. It can be as simple as a small cross or as complex as a bracelet with six different colored beads on it, all representing a different stage of the roman road.
But with TSR competition heating up in the last several years, Christian conference speakers have taken TSR use to new heights. It usually happens after the closing prayer (any earlier and the speaker could risk loosing the attention of the audience) and it typically comes in the form of a small trinket or memento. Before you’re inspired to change your life as a result of this gift, keep in mind that it was purchased with your tithe.
Now, everyone please look under your chair and find out the three most common TSR’s of 2009.
THE NAIL:
Most common use: reminder for what Christ did on the cross, reminder of the consequences of sin.
Pros: cheap, easy to find, can send the youth intern to Home Depot to make this purchase.
Cons: will be confiscated at airport security, cannot be used with children under 13, could result in tetanus.
Application: put it on a necklace, hang it from your rearview mirror.
THE PROMISE RING:
Most common use: reminder that true love waits, reminder that perfect love is a circle…it never ends.
Pros: Girls can use it to deflect the advances of guys from the college ministry.
Cons: Christian who have ‘made mistakes’ in the past can’t have one.
Application: Wear it on your right ring finger.
THE ROCK:
Most Common use: reminder that Jesus is our rock, reminder that their are “goliaths” in our life that we need to kill.
Pros: Can be purchased by the pound, multiple rocks provide entertainment for A-D-D kids during ministry time.
Cons: makes really loud noises in the laundry when you leave it in your pants pocket, kids confuse Jesus with Dewayne Johnson (the wrestler).
Application: Put in on your mantle, use it as a cubicle decoration.
THE PUZZLE PIECE:
Most Common use: reminder that we’re are all part of the Christian body, reminder that we are worthless unless we have the other parts.
Pros: recyclable, no individual resale value.
Cons: only comes in quantities of 1000 or 3000, youth group kids try to fit their puzzles pieces together and when they find a match the guy says, ‘God must want us to hook up.’
Use: stick it to your bathroom mirror, tape it to the inside cover of your bible/journal.
Have you ever been TSRed?
Pastors are always looking for new TSR ideas, any suggestions?
Comments
I was in a service once where the pastor gave us a purple towel to wash others' feet with. It was purple because that's the color of Jesus' robe of course. Anointing oil and a bowl to catch the excess is a must. Truly magical
Just last week at a women's bible study, I got a fork and a knife tied together with a ribbon.
The fork and the knife were to encourage us to dig into the word of God ourselves, because in the summer bible study all the leaders are going to be in their own study and the small groups are going to be on their own.
The spoon was purposely missing, because we shouldn't expect others to spoon-feed us.
And the ribbon was there, because "women like ribbons."
I put it in my tote and the next time I reached in to dig something out, I cut my finger on the knife. Which reminded me why I hate TSR's.
U all are reminding me of – the best TSR I had at youth camp everyone had to pick a slice of wood, like a cross-section so you can see the rings. We wrote our sins on them, used them pretty much all week. Last night they all went onto the bonfire. So cool.
wait, i didn't get to bring it home, nevermind…
Wow. these responses are Crazy! Acuff, your readers are awesome!
I can remember one TSR. After a weekend-long retreat style thingy the participants got keys with no grooves, with the reminder being we let God shape us/put the grooves in us however He wants. I still have my groove-less key.
I particularly enjoyed one TSR I recieved at my brother's church – it clearly reminded me of the sermon AND it was useful. It was a coffee mug that said "if they matter to Jesus, they matter to me" on it. The sermon didn't have anything to do with coffee, but the placement of the 'sermon theme' did ensure that I see it often and actually remember what the pastor spoke about!
Father's Day… we give out mini utility knife keychains (like the kind you get at Home Depot, but small and plastic) with a real blade! Because, you know, nothing says you're a manly Christian than a knife keychain with the church name and address in big, blue letters.
I don't know if it's cause I'm old or because I'm a Baptist, but I've never heard of a TSR….oh the things I've missed out on!
This year I have already received a couple of rocks under my chair, ha-ha. I would add a seed to the list. I received one of these at church recently. Of course the idea was to plant the seed, watch it grow, and be reminded of the points in the sermon.
Best one I’ve ever been given: a squirt gun…representing our committment to charge the gates of Hell even if the only firepower we have is a squirt gun.
A salt packet to keep in your purse to remind Christian girls to dress modestly… or in case your french fries aren't salty enough.
S- Is your skirt too short?
A- Is your outfit too apparent?
L- Is your top too low-cut?
T- Are your clothes too tight?
My pastor once gave out poker chips. I believe the message was titled "All In" and was probably about baptism or something. Shame I don't remember the subject, yet still have the chip in my wallet several years later, haha.
[...] notice ome of the comments on SCL reveal a less funny side to things. For instance, in a post about Tangible Sermon Reminders, which is an object given away after a sermon meant to punctuate the main point of the message, [...]
A tent stake- a small one. More of a really big nail really. In all honesty, for the life of me I can't remember what it meant- but I do think it related to Paul being a tent maker. And something about going where God wants you to? Maybe. Definitely had something to do with a tents…
A dollar bill to remind us to use our talents and not hide them like the third guy did in the parable.
My parents' Protestant, Anabaptist church gave away kits to make a set of prayer beads at the Good Friday service this year. There were no instructions and there was a card with "prayer points" that were not well formed and were pretty much unprayable.
[...] [...]
Once on a youth retreat we all got small white flag upon which we wrote what we were surrendering (get it?) to Jesus. It was actually a pretty powerful TSR!