Bob was sixteen and had a new driver's license.1 Bob and his friend had plans for the evening. "Dad, could I have the keys to the car? My friend and I want to go to Bogalousa tonight." "Here are the keys to the car, son, but you stay in town. Don't go to Bogalousa!" Guess where Bob and his friend went in Dad's car? There was an accident, a bad accident, but the boys were alright. The phone rang, collect call. "Hello, Dad, we've had an accident. We're fine. The car can't be driven. Will you come and pick us up?" "Where are you, son?" "Bogalousa."

What would his father say? How would he deal with his son's failure? What would you say? If you were Bob, how would you feel?

The Apostle Peter also went to Bogalousa. In denying the Lord, he failed miserably. Luke especially dramatizes Peter's failure. While Peter was speaking -- "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." ... "Man, I don't know what you are talking about!"2 -- the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and made eye contact with Peter (Luke 22:59-61).3 How would the Lord restore Peter to discipleship? What would Jesus say to Peter? In John's gospel (21:15-19), Jesus confronted Peter at the Sea of Galilee.

The move from Bogalousa to Peter at the sea highlights the two dimensions of preaching from Bible narratives. Bob's story reflects a contemporary emphasis in homiletics on "story." The use of story in preaching, and even seeing the sermon as a story, have been championed by numerous homileticians (see below). In many ways this new emphasis has revitalized preaching, in part by signaling a heightened awareness of the listener and how best to communicate with him or her. On the other hand, Luke's dramatization of Peter's story reminds us of the highly crafted literature that is biblical narrative and the power residing in scripture, which is primarily story. With unique features of composition, far-reaching theological implications, and simple experiential qualities, biblical stories are fertile ground for effective preaching.

The concern for a literary reading of biblical narrative and considering the sermon as story reflect recent trends in biblical studies and homiletics. Yet, for the most part, these emphases have moved as separate trajectories primarily in an academic arena. Few have appreciated the relationship between these trends4 and seen the profound implications of their interaction for contemporary preaching. Even fewer still have been able to incorporate both in the preparation and delivery of sermons.

A more holistic view of the sermon that pays special attention to the relationship between the story that is the text and the sermon as story has the promise of reconnecting the sermon to text and church, with its many stories, in a dynamic way.5 This article will outline these two dimensions of preaching Bible narratives with an eye toward giving practical suggestions as to how the two should inform each other in preaching. Bringing together these two aspects of preaching should result in a more biblically based homiletic for narrative preaching.