You and I—neighbors, Christians—we are the only vehicle for God’s reconciliation of the world. There is no backup plan. I hope these parables will help you rediscover what it means to be a good neighbor—and to experience the gospel message retold in modern language, unobscured by religious dogma. It is my hope that these parables may, in some small measure, play the role of a grandfather clock in the foyer of your faith. I am inviting you to take part in the story, in anticipation that it might aid