Engaging the parables is an art that has largely been lost. The parables of Christ are designed to surprise, challenge, and shake us up because Jesus comes to us, gentle as a dove but shrewd as a serpent. Jesus isn’t just a teacher – he’s a trickster and a conspirator. Jesus speaks as both omniscient creator and innocent fool – an impassioned judge and a childlike prankster. This is the art of teaching in parables. In this series we will let the Trickster Christ conspire goodness in our midst and draw us closer together as a courageous community of Christ-followers in the neighbourhood.