Stories
“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” ~C.S. Lewis, Miracles
“Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.” ~Max Ehrman, author of Desiderata
This morning I was sitting and enjoying a mug of English breakfast tea and good conversation with two of my friends. We were telling stories as we usually do. One guy would tell a story and then another guy would tell a story. This back and forth sharing went on for some time. Sitting by a fireplace, good friends, a great cup of tea and stories…I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
What is it about stories that we all like? Stories just naturally call us in to listen. From childhood on up we are exposed to the simplest and most complex concepts of life via narrative (another name for story). We are drawn in by the beginning and have a subconscious need for the conclusion. Even when I was being potty-trained, I read a story that pertained to potty training. Stories encapsulate so much of our lives.
Jesus, God incarnate, is a masterful story teller. When it comes to the complex truths of the Kingdom, he locates their meaning in stories called parables. Through these simple expositions on Kingdom truths people are brought into the intricate, intimate, and profound workings of God and His plan.
Stories are naturally invitational. They call us in and ask us to sit a while. They invite us to sit back and relax. They teach us to listen. They elicit emotion and they demand commitment to the plot. They have a beginning and an ending. Such a framework forces us to locate ourselves. Chapter by chapter we journey with the story. We share the joys of the protagonist and find ourselves livid at the antagonist. We’re surprised, we rejoice, we’re saddened and then we laugh. Stories make us…US!
Try to tell about yourself without using story. You could give a bunch of facts but people will not listen. The world is full of enough facts…the last thing anyone needs is a bunch of data that does not tie together.
Once you tell your story, you tell something that is uniquely you. No one else can tell your story the way you do. Your story is what makes you you! Take yourself out of the context of story and you fail to be who you are. If I woke up tomorrow with no recollection of my past, my family, my wife, or my community, I would fail to be who I am.
Story connects me with others. I cannot tell my story without sharing the moments that have been shared with other stories. My story is intricately tied to the stories of my friends, family, enemies, acquaintances, and neighbors. Stop telling their stories and you kill a piece of my story.
Story makes the world go round. Around the globe there are over six billion stories being told. Somehow, like a six degrees from Kevin Bacon type of exercise, my story can be connected with the story of kids in South Africa. The people I’m connected to connect with others who connect with others who connect with others…you get the point.
So the nebulous word of “community” that we toss around is a tangible thing. Community is nothing more than groups of story tellers who, for a period of time, find themselves telling the same piece of the story. They share something in common. They journey together because their stories have been written alongside one another.
If our lives operate in a story fashion, why has Christian faith been reduced to systematic theology, Bible memorization, affirmation of statements and a propositional witness? Why has the Bible been viewed as some magic book or some therapeutic text in place of being viewed as God’s story that you and I are invited into the drama?
If story is relational, why has Christianity, the revelation of Jesus Christ, in some circles been reduced to creeds and statements of faith? If Jesus is the center of Christian story, why is so much of our lives trying to get the newest stuff, the trendiest fashions OR proof-texting Scripture and creating theological systems in place of meeting Jesus? Have we so divorced our lives from the story of Christ that we tell people about Him but we cease to be Him to the world in which we live?
What if evangelism was relationally done in which instead of getting people to affirm statements, we shared the story of God and their role in such a narrative? How would Sunday mornings looks as people began to share their stories? What if Bible reading was an immersion in a story and not a need to memorize for the sake of memorization?
All of this story begs the questions that a wonderful friend and spiritual mentor of mine posed to me each and every week we met, how have you experienced Jesus in the past week? Once we begin to answer that question we begin to tell the story of Christ that is authentically ours!
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Stories are great, especially the great and grand story of redemption. The great thing about our culture is that we focus on our individual stories. The bad thing is that those individual stories are not related to the greater story of God’s redemptive work.
But regarding creeds and statements of faith…These wonderful tools are not opposed to the relational aspect of Christianity. As a matter of fact, they help and nurture it. To relate to someone you have to know something about them. If I am going to relate to my wife, it means I have to know something about her character, work, desires, intents, etc. In other words, I have to know who she is, what she does, and what will please her.
Part of the reason creeds are formulated are for that very reason, to help us get to know and relate to the God who created us. This is part of what the 1st commandment requires: If we are going to have God as our only God, we better try to know everything we can about him.
Another reason creeds are beneficial is that they help us to formulate and articulate our faith against those who are not followers of our faith. Are we one with the Mormons? Asollutely not, since they do not accept the Trinity (a doctrine found through Systematics and articulated in our church’s historical creeds).
That of course leads into another reason for creeds. They alow us to find out those with whom we fellowship (and make stories with). In other words, who is my brother? Everyone who can affirm with me the essencital truths contained in the Bible? What are those essencial truths? They are summarized quite well in the Apostle’s Creed.
The church formulated the AC very early on to help in its work of discipleship. Basically, it is an elaboration on what it means to be baptized into the name of the Triune God. After thorough discipleship they would basically ask, “Do you believe in this God?” If they affirm yes, they could come into the church and find fellowship with the rest of the Lord’s body.
We at our church use a creedal confession of some kind every week at our services, it shows our unity among ourselves and with all saints everywhere throughout time. It is a pretty fantastic thing when you think about it: All of us affirming we have the same story (though diverse as can be in its individual telling!) and are related to the exact same saving God.
Trust me, if you study the creeds and confessions (like the Westminster Confession of Faith or the Heidelberg Catechism) you will be blown away by how much deeper your relationship with God becomes. Hey, if you want, I’ll study them with you. What could be better than drawing nearer to God with another brother in the Lord.
Great stuff, Matt. You are absolutely right about the relational components of the creeds. I believe hymns, creeds, and confessions of faith offer rich, deep stories to tell.
My only question, do we allow them? OR, have we reduced our faith down to simple statements?
I would love to journey with people down this awesome journey of Christianity. Let’s keep the journey going and spark a friendship along the way!