Jesus used his parables to teach ordinary persons with mundane concerns about the kingdom of God; and because these simple stories contain universal truth that transcends time and culture, they still strike a powerful chord with us nearly two millennia later. Preaching the Parables provides a gold mine of background material on each of the eighteen parables appearing in Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary. Dallas Brauninger brings a fresh, imaginative approach to these familiar texts, probing them to reveal what they tell us about God and inviting further reflection on what they mean for us today.
Preaching the Parables is more than just a sermon preparation resource; it's also stimulating reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how God speaks to us through the parables. Modeled on the format of Brauninger's popular Preaching the Miracles series, each chapter in Preaching the Parables includes five sections:
• Text -- the entire parable text is reproduced, eliminating the need to flip back and forth to a Bible
• What's Happening? -- a synopsis of points of action within the story, defining its movement, conflict, and change or resolution
• Spadework -- significant terms are examined through a survey of Hebrew and New Testament writings
• Parallel Scripture -- similarities and differences with parallel stories in the other Gospels are highlighted; where the story is unique, parallel words and concepts are examined
• Chat Room -- readers are creatively engaged in a variety of imaginary online exchanges, ranging from interviews with parable characters to browsing ideas to self-driven conversations.
This permission-giving resource encourages the reader to develop questions for the text. It's the kind of yeast that gives rise to new shades and flavors of meaning.
Preaching the Parables nourishes a fresh receptivity to the speaking of the Spirit of God in the lectionary passage and in life.
Nancy B. Rohde
Interim Pastor, Charlevoix United Church of Christ
Charlevoix, Michigan
What a refreshingly helpful way to exegete the text. The succinct but substantive "Spadework," "Parallel Scripture," and "Chat Room" sections provide the preacher with an exciting array of ways to understand and give meaning to the parables. Brauninger's writing will afford the reader many "Ahas."
Diana Coberly
Pastor, First Congregational United Church of Christ
Great Bend, Kansas
Dallas A. Brauninger, a cum laude graduate of Albion College, received her Master of Divinity degree and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. A full-time writer, she has served churches in Colorado and Nebraska. Brauninger is the recipient of denominational honor for outstanding ministry to persons with disabilities and their families, and she is the editor of That All May Worship And Serve, her denomination's national disabilities ministry newsletter. She and her husband, both ordained ministers in the United Church of Christ, live in Friend, Nebraska.
