Preaching the Parables, Series III, Cycle C

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.