The first time I had to preach a homily on
a Sunday morning, I thought I was going to puke. I was an ordained Catholic priest who had
been through all the mandatory public speaking courses my master’s degree required. I had studied the scriptures; I had consulted
various homiletic services that point out interesting stuff about the
scriptures -- but looking out on the congregation that first Sunday morning, I
felt woefully underprepared. And after I
presented the product of all my slavish work, the verdict was clear: Quite frankly, I sucked.
I realized quickly no matter how much
exegetical crap I threw out at the congregation, they still looked bored as
hell. Somehow, I don’t remember exactly
why, I shared my struggles with my shoot straight from the hip Grandma
Margie. She boiled it down best and gave
me great advice – “We’ve heard it all before.
Tell us a good story!”
That’s when I realized that if I was going
to be a communicator, I had to think in terms of what makes a good story. I had to think about what takeaway I wanted
to leave with an audience – did I want them uplifted or challenged? Was I appealing to their hearts and their
heads?
I thought about favorite movies and books –
how did they open? With a conflict! – Something
big happens and it propels the story forward.
My homilies would do the same. I
learned I had to keep the story moving, keeping the conflict central and
pushing the homily through acts. I
decided since movies and plays were generally five acts, my homilies would be
the same. And I learned the more
authentically I could connect with my own feelings about the central conflict,
I could engage the congregation at a gut level as well.
Now that I write books and articles, I
think about the lessons I learned as a preacher. You need to take take your reader on a
journey of emotion and discovery. They
are your partner as you reveal the mysteries of your story. If you are to move them in any way, tell them
a good story.
Guest post by Alan Oakes. Alan Oakes is a Graduation Coach and
Counselor at a Texas
High School
Alan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the William Allen White School of
Journalism at the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts degree from the
Washington Theological Union in Washington ,
D.C.
To learn more about the author, feel free to go to his website: http://www.alanoakes.net/
