Introduction
"That was such a good sermon for the young people." And the kindly, littleoldlady who regularly told me that about my Sunday sermons always seemed to end the sentence with a period and not an exclamation mark. (In other words, she said it without enthusiasm, judgmentally, as if at least those who wouldn't know better at least probably were amused by my efforts.) Assuredly she knew she had said just the right things to bring me, once again, to the brink of "losing my religion." My problem was that I preached parables in- stead of expository sermons. I got away with my "unusual" style of preaching because I either worked for a small congregation that couldn't afford a full-- time minister, preached in jail, or preached at times other than the Sunday morning "serious" time.
I have given up any thoughts hoping regular Sunday morning screechers,* excuse me, preachers will use this parabolic methodology. But I think its freshness, creativity, and imaginative possibilities are very well suited to reaching our youth (who still have the capacity to hope for new wine skins).
It has always struck me as a bit odd that the parabolic style of teaching that Jesus used always seems so controversial, unusual, and unorthodox, when it is in fact the only style Jesus seemed to use. So it gose.
* An unapologetic, scholarly reference to Erasmus' Praise of Folly.
Section 1
Table of Contents
Home