From The Pulpit-June 30, 2013

From the Pulpit
June 30, 2013

Another Faith Story

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Galatians 5:1, 13-25

So, what's your story? We all have one.  Where did you come from?.....
Where are you going to?  There are some great stories out there and your's is one of them.

Some of the great stories are about Benjamin Franklin.  One such story is that he was actually a great inventor because he was lazy.  Flying the kite?  He was actually accustomed to letting the kite drag him home down the river so he didn't have to walk.  And that led to other things.  Great stories can make history and science more fun to learn and more memorable.

And jokes are some of our favorite stories.  Like the one about the man who became so close to God and had done such wonderful works that one day God asked the man, "What one thing would you like for me to do for you, my son?"  And the man, who was an avid motorcyclist, replied, "Oh God, I have always wanted to ride all the way to Hawaii on my bike.  That would be a great experience.  Could you build me a bridge to Hawaii?"  And God answered, "Oh my son, that is a very difficult thing that you ask.  That will take much planning, many people's involvement, and will be a task that takes a long, long time before you will get to enjoy the results.  Is there anything else I could do so you can enjoy it right now?"  So the man thought again and responded, "Well, I actually would love to understand my wife better--how she thinks, how she feels, what I can do to make her happy and love me even more."  And God smiled and said, "Would you like that highway to be a two-lane or a four-lane." Leaving us to learn that discernment when asking things of God is a tricky thing!

Yes, we learn things from stories beginning when we are very young.  Who hasn't heard of The Little Engine That Could?  We have all heard this story in some form or fashion from someone that wanted to encourage us to never give up, in contrast to our Amazon, McDonald's, "I want it now without any effort" world.

So we all have our favorite stories--whether they take the form of jokes, movies, sports teams, tv shows or books.  And so I must move into my favorite book-The Bible.

Today's story for example is a little like our motorcyclist and his opportunity to ask something of God.  When Elisha gets to ask something of God through Elijah, he asks for "a double portion of your spirit".  You see, when the time comes you can think big, or you can think small.  And this creates your story, the story that takes us through life.  But it is hard to discern what to ask for sometimes.

Paul helps us with the discernment in his letter to the Galatians.  He tells us not to live in the flesh but to grow in the fruits of the Spirit.  So, if our requests benefit us with things of this world they may not be as valuable as those requests that lead us towards those "fruits".  This point is supported whenever Paul tells his story, the story of his life before and after meeting Christ.  That personal story is what convinces others that he knows what he is talking about.

And it is the same with all storytellers.  The personal connection is the selling point.  The common denominators that help the listener connect are the things that can convince others that your story is true.  And good storytellers do this in our world today.  This is why they say the pen in more powerful than the sword.  A well-told story, whether written or verbal, is a very powerful thing.  It can plant a seed and begin to change a life.

Who are our storytellers today?  Authors of all kinds--playwrights, screenplays, song writers, and you...through e-mail, facebook, twitter, blogs, and even "snail mail" occasionally.  In the things you write, in your communications, you are telling a story reaching back to past generations when you write about things that have happened and reaching forward to future generations as you leave your "techno" trail.  And what kind of story are you telling?  Is it a positive one?  When you back up and look at the story as a whole so far, what are the strengths and weaknesses?  What are the lessons?  What are the seeds that were planted?  And where will your story go from here?

Looking back at a story after it is finished, is a little like God's perspective on our lives.  It is like looking at a tapestry, a form of story-telling in itself.  Now if you turned the tapestry over or look very closely, you might see all the crossed-up threads, the knots, the skips in the design.  But, from the front, the beautiful picture comes together.  And that is what God sees when he looks from His perspective at your story.  He does not linger at the knot, the problem, the mistake in the pattern, but He sees the beauty in the design and the completed story.

So, continue weaving.....continue telling your story....and remember-you have a very loving audience listening!!