Storytelling from the Pulpit

As many of you know, I attended a conference last week about how to tell stories from the pulpit. As I emphasized to my congregation, this is not an attempt to tell LIES from the pulpit, but rather to find the place where our lives match up with the faith story. Like many, my firsthand experience with sermons was the 3 point sermon . . . and in my upbringing all three points had to start with the same letter . . . i.e. God wants us to 1) STEP outside our comfort zone, 2) SEEK the lost, and 3) SAVE their souls . . . yada yada yada. But I wasn't comfortable with the three point approach and especially not with the alliteration. It just wasn't me and God called me to be me, not to fit into somebody else's box. So I've been experimenting for the last 7 years (yes, I've been ordained for 7 years next month!) with the sermon style that is "mine." In my field education experiences, I learned that sermons could be well-written, and thus the focus became the Word, which, according to John 1, is a pretty amazing thing. I found myself enjoying preaching from the manuscript, realizing that I could push myself while pushing my listeners, but I knew that there was something missing between my manuscript and my congregation's response. And so I began searching again. In seminary I studied homiletics under David Buttrick, one of the "greats" when it comes to homiletics. He had rules to follow, but not so intensely that they couldn't be broken. His rules were more about content and making sure stories and analogies "fit" what was to be communicated with the congregation. But what really has stayed with me from his class was his acknowledgment that in today's fast-paced society, people can't grasp hold of 3 points anymore . . . in fact, you're lucky if you can get them to grasp hold of 1 point. He reminded us of the society we live in . . . where information is thrown out at us so quickly and we are, as the receivers, asked to sort through that information at lightning speed. We'll take that, thanks. Toss that, it's junk. Mentally that's what we do. I wanted to find a way to communicate across generations in a way that would undo the expectations of the now ONE point sermon. And how better to do that than a story.

Doug Lipman is a professional storyteller/marketer who just so happens to be married to a wonderful Disciples of Christ pastor. So when the opportunity came for me to attend a storyteller workshop for clergy at his home, I didn't hesitate. I got permission from my session to be gone for a few days and off I went. What I discovered was the reason I'm always buying children's books and reading fantasy novels. I was reminded that I LOVE stories. And I was also reminded that a good story is open-ended enough to meet us wherever we have a need. Children find their place in a well-told story. Senior citizens find their place in a well-told story. And so I am making it my goal to tell stories this year -- all year long. I don't want to simply tell inspirational stories that come through my e-mail 50 times each day, but I want to tell stories that connect to the stories of my faith.

This Sunday I'm preaching about "the greatest commandment." What is it, Jesus, the Sadducee wants to know -- Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. It's pretty basic, you know, but in the context of the story, it becomes HUGE and invites all ages in to listen and believe. 93% of this story is unknown. So I wonder what some of the details were. I wonder why the Sadducee is asking Jesus this question . . . is he trying to "catch" Jesus like the Pharisee who failed in the paragraph before? What is Jesus feeling as he is asked this question? What is so important in the rest of the law that Jesus seems to ignore? What sounds and sights surround them in their discussion? Does someone else watch what is going on? And then, as we transition this faith story to our story, I wonder how many times we fail to love God because we fail to love our neighbor. I wonder what the stories are in my own life where I didn't attend something because I knew "so and so" would be there. I wonder how exclusive I've become in many areas. I wonder if knowing my own exclusivity would encourage me to open my heart to those I have excluded. And I remember what it feels like to be excluded, to be ignored or not taken seriously.

The story is so broad, yet to pertinent. So here I rest, with memories and feelings instead of the all-important Word. Perhaps this is what it means to live what your learn or to practice what you preach. Whatever it is, I'm lovin' it!