In our church Sanctuary at First Presbyterian, Rapid City, we have beautiful stained-glass windows. On the eastern side of the main sanctuary are ten windows depicting miracles of Jesus. On the western side of the room are ten windows depicting parables that Jesus spoke. Last Fall, I offered a sermon series based on the ten miracle windows. This Fall (beginning September15), we will journey through a ten-week sermon series, directing our attention on the ten parable windows.
To get us started thinking, “what is a parable?” The short answer is that a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. Seems clear enough… but why did Jesus speak using parables? His answer might surprise you. When His disciples questioned him on this very topic, Jesus said, “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’” (Matthew 13:13). There is some mystery in Jesus’ teaching— that those who want to understand, will be enlightened, but those who do not want to understand, will remain ignorant.
In preparation for this sermon series, I have been reading “Proclaiming the Parables: Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom of God” by Richard Long. I think he provides helpful thinking for us on this topic when he discusses similarities and differences among metaphor, simile, allegory, and parable. Long describes a “fork in the road,” where much scholarship has focused on the literary and rhetorical aspects of the parables, at the expense of their theological realities. In our conversations and thinking, we will try to do both. How do these stories, similes, images, and ideas help us to better understand the Kingdom of God? That’s what I’m interested in learning about?
Which parable is your favorite? Which of the windows do you enjoy the most?
I’m excited to learn with you together.
Very truly,
Pastor Adam
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