The Homiletical Beat: Why All Sermons Are Narrative

by Eugene L. Lowry

Promoting the idea of sermon as narrative, Eugene Lowry's first book, The Homiletical Plot , became one of the most influential preaching books of the latter part of the 20th century. While the sermon as narrative has become conventional preaching wisdom, it is largely misunderstood.

Sermons are, by definition, narratives and as such, they have plots. At the same time, the sermon is not a story. While similar in many ways, narratives and stories are distinct. Therefore, to think of narrative preaching as merely one of many homiletical styles is to misunderstand and reduce the nature of the sermon. The sermon is more than just an option for the preacher; rather, it is, by definition, a narrative because it happens in time, not in space.

This changes everything because the sermon ceases to be something a preacher constructs, like a thesis or even a painting. Instead, it is more like a piece of music - something a preacher plays within intuitively, to a constant beat - time after time, week after week.

In light of this revelation, what are new strategic aims for sermon preparation and delivery?

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on Lowry's Beecher and Self Lectures, this small book contends that all preaching is narrative preaching because "a sermon is an ordered form of moving time." Telling stories is only one form of narrative preaching, but not the only form. Preaching has long moved away from a structured argument (at least the best views of it have), and Lowry was one of the leaders of that movement. My own preaching was affected by reading Fred Craddock who teaches that the true point of the sermon should only come out at near the end, keeping people in anticipation throughout. I've corrected people before when they've used the old high school idea of how to write an essay, "Say what you're going to say, say it, remind people of what you've said." Because that is the worst sermon form in the world.

Lowry writes that the audience shouldn't be able to complete the sermon for you, but need to listen to see where you are going. I hope I'm good at that, because it is what I aim to do. And my own particular technique is leaving the end of the sermon somewhat open and not using a gimmick for closure.

Lowry says a sermon should follow a plot of oops, ugh, aha, whee, and yeah. Or, put less eloquently, upsetting the equlibirum, escalating the discrepancy, disclosing the clue to resolution, experiencing the gospel, and the unfolding.

Lowry also contends that sermon preparation should remained focused on practices of orality. He is not against a manuscript, but that we should not move to quickly to closure or the finished product and that the writing should be with a oral experience in view. I believe I do that. I always rehearse my sermons, which often greatly changes what is written or how it is structured. When an Associate Pastor, I rehearsed sermons in the sanctuary and even practiced gestures, but I don't do that anymore. My delivery of the sermon is never exactly what is in my manuscript.

So, a good refresher with some interesting new ideas I will incorporate into my practice.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The music analogy with tension and resolution for sermons was good. This book deals mainly with the sermon form as narrative form. Narrative form has beginning, middle, and end. Narrative form includes tension in the form of crisis or conflict leading to resolution. Lowry points out that sermons are events over time, more like the process of painting a picture than the presentation of a painted picture. Some good ideas here worth considering about sermonic form and even delivery, but not so much as to sermon content.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Critical book on preaching

This is really Lowry at his best. He has such a command of the language, and of the goals of preaching. I highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to improve their craft.

Probably the weakest section is on lectionary preaching. I don’t think he understands the relationship between the lectionary, the sermon, and worship. But that is a minor quibble in the scale of all things.

[Rev. Kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the importance of making the sermon connect