Why stories matter
Date Posted: Nov 27, 2025.
A story, whether from the Bible or a testimony of how someone has experienced God in their life, is a way of encountering divine grace. The story itself is sacramental - an outward and visible sign that contains an inward grace that has been imparted as part of that experience.
Storytelling is not unique to the Christian tradition. It is a profound and timeless way that humans have communicated across cultures over many thousands of years to convey truths, impart wisdom and inspire change. Stories have been told in communities to keep traditions alive, to find meaning, and to tell the history of our human development. Stories help shape the way we understand the world, ourselves and other people, and reducing the importance of stories in our culture leaves us more deprived of this dynamic and emotive form of communication.
Stories in Scripture
In Scripture, stories serve as a divine tool, used by God as part of the plan for salvation – they are that important for revelation, teaching and transformation. They are not incidental but a central part of God’s revelation. In fact the Bible can be seen as a grand narrative that reveals God’s character, acts, relationship with creation and redemptive plan. Through storytelling, God communicates his truths in a way that is relatable and memorable. That is because stories are more than just a form of entertainment or imparting information; they engage with the whole person, body, mind and soul; they allow the person to enter fully into the story and encounter and experience its truths personally; and they are profoundly incarnational – in these stories, God meets us where we are.
Jesus the master storyteller
In the Gospels, Jesus is the master storyteller, using the parables to communicate deep spiritual truths. These simple, yet profound accounts used the images of agriculture, fishing and day to day life that would have been so common to Jesus’ hearers, yet they went beyond that and they contained layers of meaning that required further reflection and contemplation. And these are not just moral stories, they contain radical and transformative truths - they are an invitation into God’s mission and they show how close at hand the Kingdom of God is.
So, if Jesus used stories to help him advance his mission, should we be using stories in our mission too? For me, the answer is yes. Sharing stories of hope and transformation are a vital part of our mission because they invite people to become part of the narrative, to encounter and be transformed. Stories open hearts.
We form our stories of hope and transformation by being with and alongside people through the wonderful social action and justice projects in our churches – these stories are about how we as a society are piecing our lives together to find meaning. As we share in someone’s story, we are not seeking to find a way of fixing a problem, but about entering into the mystery of what God is doing in their lives.
As humans, as Christians, storytelling is part of our heritage. It remains so, as we allow ourselves to be changed and transformed by the stories of the people we meet, and then sensitively and with them sharing those stories more widely as a sacramental sign of what God is doing in people’s lives.
