Jesus used his parables to teach ordinary persons with ordinary quandaries; yet because these simple stories contain universal truths that transcend time and culture, they still provide us with powerful lessons. Preaching the Parables provides a gold mine of background material on each of the fourteen parables appearing in Cycle A 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 modern living.
Much more than just a sermon preparation resource, Preaching the Parables explores questions like:
* What dimension of the soul that needs tending does the parable address?
* What is the parable's surprise?
* What moves us into hope?
* How does its point become obvious?
* How do its characters relate to us today?
Brauninger identifies points of action, examines significant terms, and engages in imaginary exchanges with a variety of characters. The complete text of each parable is also included, along with an analysis highlighting similarities and differences in parallel passages. Modeled on the format of Brauninger's popular Preaching the Miracles series, each chapter includes five sections:
• Text
• What's Happening?
• Spadework
• Parallel Scripture
• Chat Room
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. She is the author of numerous CSS worship resources, including the Preaching the Miracles series and the Lectionary Worship Aids series. Co-pastor with her husband Robert of a congregation in Burwell, Nebraska, Brauninger is currently engaged in the Pastoral Excellence Program of the United Church of Christ's Nebraska Conference.