Matthew 13:1-23

My dad grew up with three brothers. They were all close in age and, to put it mildly, a little rambunctious. Needless to say, he has stories. Stories I’ve heard over and over again.

When I was young, those stories were amazing to hear. I couldn’t get enough. I thought they were hysterical and, at times, unbelievable. Then, as I got older and the stories started to repeat, I thought they were annoying.

Now, those same stories are precious to me. They explain, in a strange way, who I am by reminding me where I came from.

I’m sure your family has stories too. Stories that have been told around the dinner table, passed down through generations, or repeated so many times that everyone knows what comes next. These stories shape us. They help define who we are and the world around us.

Jesus, like my dad, was a storyteller.

We often call His stories parables. Jesus used familiar, everyday things to teach profound spiritual truths. In the book of Matthew, Jesus used parables to help people understand God’s kingdom and how they should respond to it. These stories, like our family stories, have the power to shape us in significant ways.

This Sunday, we started a new series called “Kingdom Stories.” Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at the parables Jesus told in the book of Matthew and discover what they teach us about God’s kingdom and our place in it.

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