A Series of Questions - What is the Kingdom like? (Audio)

When my girls were young, they loved listening to stories.  It always amazed me that they wanted to hear the same stories over and over again.  And it wasn’t just a ploy to avoid going to bed!

We loved telling them Bible stories.  And they loved listening.

Why do people of all generations like stories?

Because we are curious.  Stories draw you in.  As you imagine or observe the characters, and the tensions between them, you start wondering how things will work out for them. (By the way, that’s why we sometimes keep watching a dull movie right until the end!)

A really good story or movie gives us something to consider, reflect on, and discuss with others.  As we wrestle with the story, it wrestles with us.  Stories have the capacity to shape and transform us – for better or for worse!

Jesus was a master storyteller. He uses illustrations from everyday life to explain how things are in the kingdom of God.  As we get older, we may have become so familiar with those stories that we no longer listen, reflect, or wonder about its meaning for us today.

When it comes to the stories Jesus’ told, we do well to ponder:

• What is the main point of the story?

• What did this story mean for those who first heard it?

• What might this story mean for us today?

• If we take this story on board, what needs to change in our lives?

What I still love about reading God’s story is that my story is now part of it.  Fact is we all need to live for a greater story than just ourselves.  The joy of doing life with Jesus is getting to play a part in God’s restoration story for his world.  His story is the only one that has a glorious ending.

Come along this Sunday as we talk about stories, and then unpack two stories that Jesus told.  Who knows…?  It just might change your life.

Joy in Jesus!

Pr Rolly Stahl