The Sermon Story

Paul wrote that the church is a body with many parts, and that "the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!'" ( 1 Corinthians 12:21 ). It is one of the most freeing ideas in the New Testament. It means nobody in a church is surplus, and nobody is the whole show. These two stories about the body of Christ, retold in our own words, make the same point from opposite ends. In the first, a conductor notices the quietest instrument in the room. In the second, a decorated fighter pilot meets the unseen sailor who kept him alive. Each story ends with a takeaway for preaching or reflection. Stories in this post: "Where's the Piccolo?": Sir Michael Costa's Rehearsal Who Packs Your Parachute? Charlie Plumb and the Unseen Sailor ──────── ✝ ──────── "Where's the Piccolo?": Sir Michael Costa's Rehearsal This anecdote is widely told about Costa, but we have not found a contemporary record of the rehearsal itself, so it is shared as a t...

The first Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" ( Acts 2:42 ). Faith was never meant to be lived alone. These ten stories about church and community, retold in our own words, show both what the church can be at its best and how easily it can fail the people who walk through its doors. Each ends with a takeaway for sermons or group discussion. Stories in this collection: The Lonely Ember: A Sermon Without Words "I Won't Be Back": A Visitor's Letter "What Organisation Is That?" "A Rabble of Pilgrims": What's Wrong With the Church? The Roseto Effect: A Town Where Community Seemed to Protect the Heart Keeper of Secrets: Every Young Person Matters Good Corn: Why the Farmer Shared His Seed The Storm of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart "When He Laughed": A Girl's Poem About Our Shared Humanity Lessons From Geese: Why We Fly Better Together ──────── ...