When we read the bible, its tempting to just stick to familiar territory. We’re often well-acquainted with stories like Noah and the flood, Moses and the Exodus, David and Goliath, and Jesus feeding 5,000 people. But there are countless stories we might not read all that often. After all, the bible is quite a long book!
Considering the wide variety of material in scripture, it is obvious that there are some pretty strange stories! There are teachings, actions, and commands that may truly confuse us. Laws and practices in the Old Testament strike us as completely foreign and even backwards. We encounter episodes of grand miracles, great disasters, and downright odd happenings affecting God’s people in the ancient world. From bear attacks to brutal battles, our bible contains some of the strangest things!
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the strangeness of scripture, and have found myself focusing on those little-known stories we might not always turn to. These stories can still provide great insight for our faith, too, in addition to the well-known ones with which we are familiar.
I’m very excited for the sermon series we have planned for June and July–“Bible Stories They Didn’t Teach You in VBS!” We will be looking at several little-known stories throughout scripture and examining what they can teach us for living today. Here’s a sneak peek of bible stories we’ll explore:
- Odd battle rituals during the time of David
- The prophet Elisha and a bear attack with two “she-bears”
- Jonah’s problem with prejudice against people who looked different than him
- A strange teaching of Jesus that appears to encourage dishonesty
- Death and lies in the early church
Join us during the months of June and July as we take a look at some of the strange stories found in our bible. It is my hope that we will all learn something important by examining bible stories they might not have taught you in Vacation Bible School!
Concord United Methodist Church 