Yesterday I preached on the story of the Shrewd Steward in Luke 16:1-8. Afterwards I heard these two comments from long-time church members:
“In my fifty years of listening to sermons I’ve never heard one on that text.”
“I didn’t even know that parable was in the Bible!”
Amazing. One cool thing about preaching on a text that most people are unfamiliar with is that you’re not competing against a bunch of other sermons they’ve heard on the same text. That’s why preaching on the 23rd psalm or the Prodigal Son is such a challenge. It’s hard to find a way to approach the text that is fresh and interesting. Not so with with the Shrewd Steward! I didn’t have to get overly cute or creative with it. I just let the text unfold and tried to interpret and apply it in a helpful way.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons