Freedom

I've struggled for the past couple of years when it came to teaching through the letters in the New Testament. All my sermons started to sound like, "I believe we see three principles in this passage from Paul's letter to XYZ that we can use to ..." I hated sounding like that because I've heard it so much in the past. Don't get me wrong. I love Paul's writings. Its neat to see that even in the Greek translation of the letters there are times when Paul would give us three points and he would alliterate them with the same Greek letter. I'm not opposed to the Sesame Street sermon. (You know, this sermon was brought to you by the Letter P and the Number 3) I just want freedom.

I may have found an outlet. I began teaching through our core values at Grace Park and faced the dilemma of teaching on Colossians 3:23-24. How do I teach it where it doesn't come out canned? Well, I looked to the teachings of Jesus and found an illustration out of the Sermon on the Mount that fit the context. I may try it on the next core value that happens to be in Colossians as well.

Narrative passages, stories, seem to resonate with me more than the letters ever have. What's your thoughts? Do you enjoy the stories about Jesus' life (the Gospels), stories about Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, etc. (Old Testament Narrative), or the letters (Epistles) more?