Hidden in His Own Story: Discovering Jesus in the Parables of the Gospels

Hidden in His Own Story is an invitation to reconsider and re-imagine both the humanity and divinity of Jesus. It is an invitation to people who are not familiar with the Bible stories and have only heard them through other sources also to many who have rejected traditional interpretations of the stories as religious dogma and to many people who are so steeped in the stories that they have become cliche. Even the most clever storyteller or writer of fiction can never totally disguise or deny their personal influence on the story. And most of us have had the experience of someone beginning a story with I know a person who . . . when in fact that person is the one telling the story. Why not imagine the same when Jesus says Once there was a man . . . ? Jesus was an artful master storyteller. He kept his stories close to lived reality but he was enigmatic enough to require his listeners to do some of the work. Andrew Walton is one of his faithful listeners who is willing and artfully able to do some of the work to which Jesus parables summon us. Walton manages to bring these ancient stories to contemporary accessibility. His background in theater performance permits him to imagine and perform these narratives in a fresh way. --Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary So much of what is out there for adult Bible study groups and spiritual formation groups is stale dumbed-down and lacking in vitality. This book is different. It digs deep into the scripture to make connection with the person of Jesus through his parables and the stories about him. The author also uses his own experiences as believer and pastor to make connections that are fresh and new. --Joan S. Gray pastor Atlanta Georgia This is an extraordinary book. In one small and mighty shift of perspective Walton reimagines Jesus parables as Jesus own stories and so offers us an astonishing new way to hear them all over again. A beautiful book to treasure ponder and give. --Anna Carter Florence PhD Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching Columbia Theological Seminary Andrew Walton is a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served congregations in Forsyth Georgia Washington DC and Clearwater Florida. His weekly blog One Eternal Presence is in its sixth year of publication. Walton is currently pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church Clearwater Florida where he and his wife live.