The “Fable of the Birds” is a story about creation. All the newly made animals were walking around discovering what it was like to be alive — all, that is, except the birds! They stood around complaining because God had given them a heavy burden that he’d given no other animal—awkward appendages attached to their shoulders.

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We gather together each week to hear the healing, saving word delivered in the good news of the Sunday Sermon. But there’s also something healing about good company. That’s the indication of new research from Ohio State University.

“Stress delays wound healing in humans and other animals, and social contact helps counteract this delay,” says Courtney DeVries, assistant psychology professor at Ohio State.

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A little girl sat at her grandmother’s feet to listen to the creation story from the Book of Genesis. As the wondrous tale unfolded, the grandmother noticed that the child was unusually quiet. “Well, what do you think of it, dear?” she asked. “Wow,  I love it, Grandma,” the child answered, “you never know what God’s going to do next.”

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In writing your Sunday Sermons, it is useful to deploy such figures of speech as metaphor, simile and hyperbole. But one must not overlook those figures of speech that require skilled vocal production and articulation: Alliteration; Assonance; Onomatopoeia; and Sound Symbolism. Use the examples below to develop greater skill using Figures of Speech in your sermons.

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