Uh-Huh!

Long ago Hosea gave some advice: "Take with you words and turn to the Lord." Today we take some tragically misplaced words such as "character," "honor," and "integrity," as well as their post-modern reincarnations as the "right thing," the "right stuff," and the "right one," and once again turn to the Lord.

At the time of this writing probably the hottest new media blitz is the stylish and witty Diet Pepsi commercials. With the aid of jazz great Ray Charles, these musical ditties proclaim, "You got the Right One baby, Uh-huh!"

It is an ingenious advertising idea that verges on the subliminal: Take one of the most common phrases used in the English language and design a marketing campaign around it so that whenever anyone says "Uh-huh" they will think either consciously or subconsciously of Diet Pepsi. You might tell your people that this sermon is an exercise in theological deprogramming, so that when they say this phrase from now on they will think of something more true and good than Diet Pepsi. You should also get the congregation to say out loud at least once, "Uh-huh." Indeed, if I were preaching this sermon I would engage in some interactive preaching by announcing to them that whenever they heard these words "the right one, baby?" they were to respond by saying either "Uh-huh!"...