Tell Me Your Story

My sermon this past Sunday (6/21) was longer than usual, I will admit.  It was also one of the hardest I’ve had to preach in a long time!  Fathers’ Day… a baptism… and the Gospel is Jesus telling us he “will divide families” and “if you love parent or child more than him” you’re not worthy of him…!?  “Take up your cross,” Jesus says (Matthew 10:26-39).  Not real cheery.  But real.  The bulk of my sermon was a bunch of stories that I hoped would illustrate what Jesus meant.  To try to bring the hardest parts of the text into real life and show the good news in what he’s trying to tell us to do. 

            I love stories.  I was a reader growing up, and there’s something about how a narrative, plot, motivations, and feelings told in a coherent way teach and reveal something about life and where God is in our life and the lives of others.  Faith only makes sense in the context of a story.  Faith isn’t merely belief “about” a set of facts that you know or agree to.  Where is God in all “this”—meaning the ups and downs of your life??  The big stuff.  This is where faith is a living thing, not some abstract belief “way up there.”  So, what’s your story?  And where is God in it? 

              I have heard a lot of stories.  And the question, “Where is God in all this?” is the most important.  It is also sometimes the hardest to answer, but I do think trusting who God is revealed in Christ makes answering that question way easier.  Often that question isn’t answered until (long) after the fact… or God’s presence is only seen by others.  It’s in our stories that Jesus’ words make sense and are shown to be true.  And then HIS story of death and resurrection becomes a part of our story. 

Peace,

Pr. Christian