Illustrating the sermon visually

“Illustrations bring clarity to biblical truth and reveal how God’s Word works and has worked in the lives of others. They help us turn the ear into an eye so that our listeners see biblical truth more clearly. Illustrations make abstract truths concrete.”¹

Charles Spurgeon liked to refer to illustrations as windows—“The chief reason for construction of windows is . . . to let in light.” He said illustrations are used, “to brighten it [the subject one is talking about] with light.”²

Illustrations in the Bible

Jesus constantly used illustrations to reveal great truths. Mark’s Gospel says that “Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables, but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them” (Mark 4:33–34 NLT).

The Bible is, in many ways, a book of illustrative material. In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes about the failures of the Old Testament Israelites: “Now these things which happened to our ancestors are illustrations of the way in which God works, and they were written down to be a warning to us who are living in the final days of the present order” (1 Cor. 10:11 Phillips1972).

God made us to be creative. Genesis 1:27 tells us: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (NLT). Part of his image in us is the creativity displayed in Creation. That creativeness is displayed in so many ways, art being just one of them. In Paul’s benediction to the Ephesians he writes: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21 NIV). While this verse focuses on God and all he can do through us, I believe that we are also challenged to imagine, to imagine what God could do through us for his glory.

Visual art can powerfully communicate the gospel

Enter chalk art, also called chalk talk, chalking, or chalk drawing. The old proverb “a picture is worth a thousand words” may not always be true, but it certainly illustrates the power a visual can have. Chalk art, too, has the power to clearly communicate the gospel. Japan has always been a visually-oriented culture. Painting word pictures, as Jesus did, can “turn the ear into an eye,” so that the biblical truth the preacher is trying to communicate can be understood more clearly. Illustrating Bible truths visually can open a window into those truths in a new, dramatic, and more concrete way.

At the same time, one of the biggest challenges for preachers is illustrating the sermon in a way that reveals and enlightens the text rather than distracting the listener from the truth. The story may be a very good one, but if the listener only remembers the good story but can’t remember the point of the illustration, it was a bad illustration and turns the heart away from the truth rather than shedding light on that truth.

Chalk art: a memorable example

One of our churches runs a Summer Evangelistic English program. The final day features a sermon with a chalk drawing.

One memorable chalk drawing was a nature scene. Suddenly, a black-light picture appeared, superimposed on the chalk drawing. There was an audible gasp from the audience; they saw, illuminated in black light, the hand of God caring for the flowers of the field and birds of the air. It drove home the sermon’s point that God cares for us.

My wife still keeps a photo of that drawing. She uses it as an iPad screensaver to remind herself of Jesus’s words in Luke 12. To her, the art conveys Jesus saying, “How much more do I care for you? Don’t worry, I’m in control.” Another person posted the art on Instagram, commenting (in Japanese), “I couldn’t help exclaiming ‘Wow!’ Listening to the music while this was being drawn made it even more amazing.”

People tend to lose focus when listening to a speech or sermon. Chalk art draws people’s attention.. It focuses their thoughts on the picture, yes, but more importantly on the biblical truth being communicated. Clearly, the drawings ilicit a response, open the window, and shine light on the Word. That picture and the truth that it reveals sticks with people.

Chalk art: the tools

So, what does it take to do chalk art? First, an easel; ideally one that is designed for chalk drawing. My father used chalk art extensively in his church-planting ministry in Japan. When I returned as a church planter in 1985, it didn’t take long for me to decide to give it a try. My father had built his own easel out of metal, and I used it for a number of years before acquiring a new one.

A lighting system is also important to allow the audience to see the drawing as it unfolds; regular white lights, colored lights, a spotlight, and a black light can enhance and dramatize the final drawing. The paper most chalk artists use is grey bogus paper. A few use large bed sheets. The chalk used is “lecturer’s chalk,” a very soft and light chalk, different from sidewalk chalk. It can include both visible and invisible fluorescent, and regular colored and black chalk. I have also recently bought a variety of chalk pens to use for calligraphy as part of the drawings.

Chalk art: the possibilities

Drawings can range from simple to complex, but depending on how it’s presented, the time should be limited to 10–20 minutes (shorter is better). The kinds of drawings are almost limitless, depending only on our imagination. They can range from a simple drawing of the cross or the empty grave, to a mystery drawing where the audience is kept guessing until the last lines are drawn.

And then there are the invisible black light drawings which are revealed only when the chalk art is finished. These fluorescent drawings are done beforehand and can be more complex since there is no time constraint. Those drawings must be done on a ‘visible’ white chalk background, like a white bank of clouds, or a white waterfall, any spot that is covered by white chalk on the drawing, in order to be seen when the black light is turned on.

Christmas and Easter are great times to use chalk art. There are so many ways to portray Jesus’ first coming, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. Some other illustrations I have done in chalk art include:

• Mt. Fuji during cherry blossom season, illustrating Psalm 8 and the majesty of God.
• Majestic mountains with a black light drawing of an eagle in flight, illustrating Isaiah 40:28–31.
• Giant redwoods whose roots are so shallow they need their fellows to lean on, illustrating the importance of church and community.
• Forest scene of a waterfall with the black light drawing of living water flowing from the cupped hands of Jesus
• Broken pots transformed (by black light) into new ones in the hands of the Master Potter
• Angry sea with a floundering ship becomes a safe harbor in the black light as one focuses on the cross rather than the stormy seas of life.

Recently I have also experimented with sumie-type drawings (monochrome) to illustrate biblical truths to Japanese audiences.

In the end, the point is not the drawing, but what it points to—the truth of the gospel. The purpose of chalk art, after all, is to expose people to drawings that help them meet Jesus in a new way and to shine a bright light on the truth of God’s Word. If the chalk drawing fails to do that, it simply becomes a fun illustration with no lasting impact. But if used rightly, it can have a lasting impact on a person’s life.

1. Danny Akin, “12 Reasons to Use Illustrations in Your Sermons,” Lifeway Research, https://research.lifeway.com/2014/02/13/12-reasons-for-using-sermon-ilustrations/ (February 13, 2014).
2. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Illustrations in Preaching”, The Victorian Web, https://victorianweb.org/religion/sermons/chs1.html (accessed November 3, 2022).
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