Helping Scripture Come Alive in the Life of the Church

Lake City CRC recently tried something a little different with a sermon series, and it raises some interesting questions for the rest of us.

At Lake City CRC, the pastors didn’t just preach about biblical figures. They preached as them. Sermons were done in the first person, stepping into the lives of people like Moses, Joseph, and Abraham. The series was rooted in Hebrews 11, but instead of focusing on these figures as heroes, the goal was to make them feel like real people again. People who were unsure or unsettled, but still kept coming back, again and again. That shift seemed to matter. It made it easier to see how their stories connect to ours.

Below are a few things this kind of approach brings up, along with some takeaways and questions that might be helpful for churches thinking about their own preaching and worship.

Reclaiming the humanity of biblical characters

It’s easy to turn people like Abraham or Moses into almost untouchable figures. Over time, they can start to feel more like symbols than actual people.

Scripture tells a different kind of story. Their lives include hesitation, doubt, and imperfect decisions.

Telling those stories more personally, almost like a testimony, can help bring that back into focus.

A few takeaways:

• Let the tension in the text stay there instead of smoothing it over
• Don’t rush past the harder parts of a story
• Keep the focus on faith as something lived out over time

Questions to think about:

• How do we usually talk about biblical characters in our church?
• Do we leave space for doubt and struggle, or mostly focus on outcomes?
• What might change if people saw faith more as a process?

Making room for imagination

• Hearing a story in a different way can shift how people listen.
• First-person storytelling pulls people in. It invites them to pay attention in a new way.
• Not every church needs to do something dramatic, but it is worth asking how we help people enter the story rather than just observe it.

A few takeaways:

• Small changes in how a story is told can make a difference
• Voice and perspective shape how Scripture is received
• Creativity can be simple and still meaningful

Questions to think about:

• When have you seen people really engage with Scripture? What helped?
• What approaches would feel natural in your setting?
• How might different age groups respond?

Involving more of the church

Another part of this series was that it extended beyond the pastors. Others contributed ideas, props, and creative input along the way.

That kind of shared effort can change how a series is experienced. It becomes something the church is part of together.

A few takeaways:

• Look for ways to involve different people and ministries
• Invite ideas, even small ones
• Treat sermon series as something shared

Questions to think about:

• Who currently shapes what happens in worship?
• Where is there room to invite more voices?
• What would it look like for a series to feel more collaborative?

This kind of series is a reminder that Scripture is not only something we study. It is something we are invited into, and the way we tell those stories can shape how people respond. We look forward to hearing your thoughts or experiences about making the Bible truly come alive for your congregation in the comments below!