Jesus conveyed truth in stories we call parables. Many authors feel this calling. When I waited on inspiration for this blog post, I had a wonderful but time intensive idea. What if I took one of Jesus’ parables and wrote it in different genres? The list was long — non-fiction, fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and horror. And while I could possibly write a sentence or two for each genre in this post, I kinda want to take my time and see what could come out of a short story version.

But never fear! I have enough concept to explore in this post.

There is a scripture tucked beneath the telling of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew.

So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭52‬ ‭CEV

There are scriptures authors love that support their calling, but this one is new to me. When an author is immersed in God’s kingdom, they bring out treasures! What a awesome visual.

That’s what I want to do. That’s why I write, to share the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I titled this blog Dressing the Story, so let’s look at that.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV

This man was swiftly evicted, tied up, and tossed into hell. Okay, that’s not where I’m going with this. But certain venues lean toward certain attire. Just as a wedding in biblical times required a wedding garment, story genres have dressing requirements to reach their specific audience.

Of course, not all writers are Christian, and not all Christian writers write Christian stories. But when we do, sometimes they are dressed up like princesses or elves, or races from distant planets. We use the gift of creativity we’ve been given as image-bearers of our Creator. We attempt to reach the ones who feel they don’t fit the profile.

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭47‬ ‭NIV

The Kingdom of Heaven is cast out like a net. The net draws up both good and bad fish. The sorting of the fish is not the purpose of the net, the net merely gathers the fish.

“So the master told him, ‘All right. Go out again, and this time bring them all back with you. Persuade the beggars on the streets, the outcasts, even the homeless. Insist that they come in and enjoy the feast so that my house will be full.’”

Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Through storytelling I can weave magical worlds with scriptural truths, sharing the Gospel in a way that says, “God loves your nerdiness.” That being creative is not anti-Christian.

Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.

This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:

“I will speak to you in parables. I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT

I’m probably stretching scripture a bit to make my point, but I don’t think God is mad at me for weaving scripture into my stories.

My final word — love your creativity, embrace your enjoyment of a story well told.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy