Lectionary Stories for Preaching and Teaching: Series III, Cycle B

“The thing is, people have this incredible capacity for getting hung up on what they don’t have, instead of being happy with what they do have. We seem to be wired that way— it’s part of the brokenness of this world, I think.”
In the time of Christ and even today, people are always coveting that which others have, instead of realizing how blessed they are for what they do have. Jesus endeavored to teach this lesson and many others to his disciples and followers, though it is definitely hard to remember His teachings amidst the struggles of everyday life. Because of this, Keith Hewitt has adapted Jesus’ journey through ministry in his own words, retelling conversations between Jesus, disciples and bystanders to make it feel like they are right there in the crowd, hearing words directly from the Messiah’s mouth.
Hewitt alternates these retellings with his own stories about a group of missionaries who are teaching the Gospel to inhabitants of a Native American reserve, battling the racist and unfair treatment from those who have not yet accepted the differences of others. By doing so, readers can see clear parallels between the time of Jesus and the modern world, despite the fact that His words have been around for centuries. Hewitt’s unique style of storytelling encourages readers to pick up the Bible once more, and read it carefully, doing our best to live the lessons that Jesus taught, and is still teaching even today.
Stories include:
• “What Child is This?” (Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20)
• “The Gift” (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)
• “Rich Man’s Privilege” (Mark 10:35-45)

These stories can easily be adapted as vignettes or monologues, to be performed during worship. Depending upon the age of the students, other stories could be used in Sunday school as alternative texts to get students thinking about a particular passage in different ways.

This book may be used for:
• Preaching illustrations
• Sermon starters
• Stand-alone sermons
• Teaching aids
• Inspirational devotional reading