This year’s theme at St. Luke’s is “Telling the Story”. One of the reasons I love this theme is because stories were the method that Jesus often used to teach people about God. It’s what we often refer to as a “parable”. A parable is simply a story that is told in order to teach a lesson. Jesus told parables about sheep, coins, sons, banquets, Samaritans, and all kinds of other things. They were simply stories that he made up in order to reveal something about God’s Kingdom to us so we can understand it a little better. God’s Kingdom is too big for us to be able to grasp on our own, but by putting it in more modern imagery, Jesus was able to teach people about that Kingdom.
We often teach children values, morals, and important lessons through stories. I remember growing up and learning all kinds of lessons from different stories. Some of my favorite came from Dr. Seuss books. They seemed to be filled with lessons about not judging others based on appearances, being willing to try new things, and thinking outside the box – things I think Jesus often talked about as well. Do you remember some of the lessons you learned from stories as a child? What were some of your favorites? Or what are your favorite stories to tell children or grandchildren today?
