There are many parts of Scripture that we do not give much attention in preaching or teaching. But these less heard stories or verses can be so fruitful to engage! We asked leaders in the Learning Lab:
What are your favorite “obscure” Bible stories or passages to teach or preach on?
Some leaders named stories of personal significance in their own life stories (as we’d love for all Christians to be able to do!)
Personal resonance
- The Revelation stories remind us, even after significant deaths: God still reigns!
- One leader discovered 3 ancestors in his family tree with the same unusual Biblical name.
Several members echoed that instead of a lesser heard Scripture passage, it’s more preaching from an unusual or unexpected point of view or on an unexpected detail that they appreciate.
Many more have favorite images or stories:
Images
- The throne room in Revelation
- The vineyard love song in Isaiah
- The “queen of heaven’ passages in Jeremiah Chapter 44 (and how were verses 15-19 not “edited out” of the canon?)
Stories
- Jepthah’s daughter
- Eutychus from Acts 20: theme of being a woke church.
- How Aaron tries to cover up his participation in the making of the golden calf in Ex 32
- The Elisha stories
- “Brief mention but a significant encounters” like Rhoda in Acts
- The book of Ruth
- Shiphrah and Purah as the first who committed civil disobedience
- In Acts 17, the Berean people asked questions and studied the Bible to see if the disciples’ word was true
- Getting into the weeds of David’s story this summer: the stuff in between the big stories
- Ehud killing King Eglon in Judges 3:12-30
- Vashti…and the option of No.
- The contrast between Vashti and Esther, pondering: was Esther’s stance made possible because of Vashti’s?
- Naaman in 2 Kings 5
- Hannah, whose prayer is one of the oldest in the Hebrew Scripture
This discussion in the Learning Lab had some members considering a preaching or Bible Study series on “Scriptures We Don’t Hear”. All are invited to the upcoming free Book Hub event “Preaching The Stories We Don’t Always Hear” with three authors who have written books on Revelation, women in the Bible and preaching current events, Thursday, August 12th.
