Have you ever wondered why some biblical characters act the way they do? How could Joseph forgive his brothers after they sold him into slavery? What gave Mary the courage to say "yes" to God when she might have been stoned to death? Fascinating people of faith emerge from the pages of scripture, telling tales of faith and doubt, healing and hope. For years, the Rev. Dr. Sally Stevens Smith has been bringing them to life for congregations in first person story/sermons. The sermons in Voices from the Story are based directly on biblical texts, supplemented by scholarship, faith and imagination. Dr. Smith enters the stories of the characters and relates their feelings and experiences to ours. We share Cain's pain when God rejects his gift, and remember how rejection can affect us. We rejoice when the bent woman stands up straight after 18 years, and think of ways people are bent over today. Though the inhabitants of the Bible lived long ago and far away, they share our humanity. Like them, we wonder what God is doing in this aching world. Like them, we ask how we can be healed and what it means to live in faith. This book invites you to step into the biblical story and discover that it is your own.