Painting a Story (part 2)

After you have a full-color, multidimensional, and textured picture of the text in your mind, you can begin to describe the scene and tell the story. Use descriptive modifiers, active language, and changes in tone and inflection to communicate what you see. Show attention to detail and use other techniques to drive home the tactile reality of the scene.

Don’t just tell the people that the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her that she would give birth to the Messiah (Luke 1:26-38). Invite them into the experience so that they can feel what Mary is feeling, see what Mary is seeing, and hear what Mary is hearing.

I might consider teaching this passage from several different perspectives, but I would almost certainly begin by situating the passage in an imaginative time and space scenario that moves me into the text.

Start with the young girl Mary. Tell the story from her perspective. How old is she? Where was she? What would a normal girl of her age in Galilee be doing? What would happen to her if Joseph did not want to marry her? Why was she troubled (Luke 1:29)? See the picture. Then start to describe what you see.