story

Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it?"
-Mark 4:30

I spent this past weekend up in Pennsylvania as the main speaker for the Zeteo student conference. It's a unique event, pointing hundreds of teenagers toward Jesus through a weekend of worship, teaching, and a dramatic performance that unfolds across three days.  This year's title was "STORYMAKERS" and the drama followed the fictional lives of a number of young people as they wrestled with their own unique stories, learning how to interact with and embrace connection to the "storymaker" (God).  In the end, their stories became intertwined with each other and with the Storymaker.  It was provocative and inspiring and beautifully performed. 

So my teaching for the weekend kept pointing back to the foundational story of God's redemptive heart for the world, unfolding through each page of scripture. I've come to see "story" as one of the most powerful lenses by which we can see our faith, and the scriptures. 

Too often, the Bible is viewed as a series of statements to pull out when they are most helpful for personal inspiration or to argue one's perspective. At best, that can be nice to make us feel better or remember key truths. At worst though, they become weaponized and completely miss the forest for the trees. But when we see the scriptures as telling a grand story, and ourselves as participants in God's story, we begin to interact in a fresh way. Instead of a number of isolated books/verses/teachings, the Bible becomes a comprehensive story, heading toward an ultimate point of revelation: the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Stories involve characters going on a journey and changing. We see people's understanding of God constantly growing throughout the Bible as they eventually encounter Jesus as the full revelation of God.  And we ourselves are constantly changing on our journeys as well, as we learn more about ourselves and experience more of life with God as the years go by. Characters walk away different at the end of a story than when they began. We should also be walking differently as we grow and develop in our faith journey. 

I began the weekend asking the teenagers this: 
If your life was a story, what would be the title of the chapter you're in? 
If they saw me between sessions they were supposed to share a three word title that I wrote down in a little notebook. I got all sorts of titles, but most of them were intense. 
Pure Pain. 
Pressure Cooker. 
Searching. 
Roller Coaster. 
Very Very Scared. 
The Ink Well's Dry. 
Crying Every Night.  
The Sorrow Gun....

Naming our stories brought uncomfortable honesty to the surface. But as we entered into God's story each session, we leaned into some beautiful truths as well. 
In God's story, we are invited. In God's story, we are known....and loved. In God's story, we are redeemed. In God's story, we are sent (even in our brokenness). 
The story of God is a constant invitation to join in relationship. It's not about knowledge or complete answers or fixing everybody or even perfecting yourself. It's about receiving grace, embodying love, and entering into the most unlikely partnership imaginable: joining God in the mission to embody a world of wholeness, now and forever. 

It was beautiful and inspiring to see what happened after a weekend of diving into the way of Jesus and his love. Before the final session I again asked for chapter titles... but this time I asked what they sensed the title of their next chapter will be as they walk forward with the Storymaker. And there was a shift. 

Let's Get Going. 
Strength and Perseverance. 
My Scars Heal. 
Opening Up. 
Rise of the Fallen. 
The Small Steps.
New Beginning Again. 
My Next Leap.... 

This is what happens as we allow our story to be found within God's grand narrative. When we see ourselves as participants in the story of God that continues to unfold, we see things differently. We are able to receive fresh hope for tomorrow. We lean into what actually matters. We stop trying to write overtop of other people's stories. We understand we are not alone. And we see Jesus as our director, author, and co-actor in a story of love for the world. 

So slow down for a moment. What's the title of your chapter right now? Be honest. It might be uncomfortable to name it. 

But the story isn't over, and it's moving toward redemption. As you move toward Jesus who is lover, healer, friend, brother, savior, and guide...  
What chapter title is on the next page that you're co-authoring?  
Don't be afraid to let it be hopeful.  After all, the story is all about hope restored after it looks like all hope was lost. 

Jesus, may our footsteps match yours and may our hearts be open to your storymaking presence in our lives today. 

Peace,
Keith

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