Preaching is a unique art form of communication that occurs on Sunday mornings from the pulpits of mainline denominations to gymnasiums, school auditoriums, to the storefronts of the inner city. Preaching occurs in many genres and forms. There is however a unique style of preaching that has stood the test of time. This type of preaching finds its origins in the African Diaspora. This preaching has survived the tragic and torture filled history of Africans living in America. The African now living in America finds preaching as life giving, life sustaining, and freeing to the extent that the grace of God is freely experienced. The delivery style of African American preachers ranges from charismatic to highly cognitive. The connection with the hearer depends on the homiletical skills of the preacher. I would like to offer a tool which is of great use for both the preacher and the hearer. Both Henry Mitchell and Frank Thomas have offered a methodology that revolutionized the field of preaching when they clearly articulated the use of “celebration” as a means for closing the sermon. I would like to offer the use of storytelling in some cases as a replacement for celebration, and in other cases in corroboration with celebration. Storytelling offers the hearer a cogent sequence of events which can sometimes to be tied to an emotion or a previous life experience. This story acts as the medium to open the spirit and soul of the hearer to experience God at a deep and profound place in their life.
