This Sunday, Pastor Chris kicked off our summer series “The Parables of Jesus” with a message titled “The Prepared Heart.” Parables are not just clever stories, they are ingeniously simple word pictures that illuminate profound spiritual truths. Jesus used them to teach moral lessons, challenge assumptions, invite reflection, and ultimately reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom of God to those who were humble and hungry (Matt. 13:10 –12). At the same time, these stories concealed truth from those whose hearts had grown dull or resistant (Matt. 13:13 –15), fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah and demonstrating God’s gracious will to reveal truth to the childlike and dependent (Matt. 11:25 –26).