PENTECOST III
June 21, 2020
“Tell Me a Story”
Have you ever felt the need for a little inspiration, a boost, a push in the right direction, to help you accomplish something? Once again, the process of developing a devotional article for this week was moving so slowly as to be close to a standstill, and then the inspirational boost was provided through the St. Andrew Facebook page! Every week, Robin Wagner, our music director, and David Krueger, vocalist, create and share a short program of “Healing Music.” A few days ago, Robin read a history of the hymn “I Love to Tell the Story” and then accompanied David as he sang this beloved hymn. After the closing prayer, my heart said, “Amen! Thank you, Lord.” Telling and listening to stories is the most universal of experiences. For centuries, the history of a people was told by the elders to the younger generation, and that oral tradition bound those groups tightly together. Without those histories, we’d be without foundation, untethered and directionless. Our own scriptures were told, retold, explained, discussed, and shared for centuries before those telling and listening created written documents. The scrolls of the Torah, or Old Testament were kept in the holiest of places in the temple, revered and treasured as God’s own words to his people. As Jesus went about his ministry on earth, he used the format of parables, or stories, to communicate with his listeners. Our Lord wisely used everyday situations to which people could relate as illustrations of how to love and care for others, doing God’s work in the world. In the Gospel of Luke, we find two familiar stories, the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. In Chapter 10, we learn of a man who was attacked and robbed, ignored by his own countrymen, but then assisted by a foreigner considered undesirable. In Chapter 15, the timeless story is told of a selfish, immature young man who squanders his inheritance, returns home in shame and is lovingly embraced, welcomed, and is once again a member of the family. The message of God’s grace, love, forgiveness and redemption for all people through Christ, is timeless, reaching across the centuries to a world in pain and fear, desperate for some good news. As 21st Century Christians, connected in every way possible, how do we tell the story that God calls us to share with the world? It should be so easy, with multiple forms of communication, for everyone to hear the Good News, understand it, and joyfully become part of God’s family. The story we tell, however, is best illustrated by the care and concern we show for others, speaking out and supporting those whose voices are not heard, and always doing so because we are following the teachings of our Lord. When the story is no longer just words, but actions, it becomes real, substantial, and incorporated into who and what we are. We have a two-fold calling: To tell the story and then to live the story!
Loving the stories,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers