Between Christmas and Easter, we are no longer beside the manger anymore. Jesus is all grown up, and that night in Bethlehem has faded into memory.
But we are not yet at the cross and the empty tomb either. Instead, we find ourselves following Jesus around in his ministry of teaching, healing, and feeding.
Among Jesus’s teachings, he is most well known for being a master of parables — puzzling stories that serve as metaphors for God’s work in the world and the reign of glory to come. When you spend time in the parables and wrestle with these stories, you begin to see the world through the lens of Jesus himself.
The parables radically turn the world on its head; up becomes down, foolishness becomes wise, and the mundane becomes holy. Some of these stories are weird as can be, and they might leave you confused for the rest of your life.
At first glance — or second or twentieth — they may not make any sense. A good rule of thumb is that if you think you fully understand a parable, it’s a pretty good sign that you don’t.
However, that isn’t meant to be discouraging. Instead, it’s an invitation to enter into a world of serious playfulness and wise foolishness.
Step into the crazy world of parables, and then let it change the way you see the world around you:
- Start looking for mustard seeds in your life.
- Ponder if you are the prodigal son, the son who stayed, or both.
- Discern where you are called to be a good Samaritan, or if you might even need to open your heart to help from a Samaritan.
Let holy imagination take over this spring as we invite you to come listen to the parables of Jesus in our Vespers services at 6 pm each week in Memorial Chapel. Hear the familiar stories in a new light, become acquainted with the less familiar ones, and open yourself to seeing the world turned upside down by Christ.
–By Rev. Keith Dove, Sid & Cathy Batts Pastoral Resident
