“Hey Dad, tell us about the time you got hit by a car and it knocked your shoes off. Or about the time you sucked the peanut down your windpipe and lived to tell about it. Or about the time grandpa tied two cats together by the tail and hung them over the clothesline.”
Yes, those are all true stories about various members of my family.
But more than being simple family lore, these tales shape identity. My children come to know others and themselves by hearing about the fits and foibles of their ancestors. Durable stories forge our perceptions, they hold our past, and they shape our future. Stories create realities.
Peter and the apostles of the early church surely learned this. They told the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection and it was creating such a buzz in the temple that they were summoned before the council. They got “shushed.”
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” the high priest said.
“We must obey God rather than any human authority,” was the retort.
They were so compelled by the story that the apostles had to tell it, there was no containing it. Even after being flogged and told to stop, they kept on boldly telling the story of Jesus’ work on the cross and his victory over death. The story was worth telling no matter the consequences. What else but the power of Christ could compel them?
Church, we can reclaim the power of the story we carry within us, transform the story from latency to potency! Join us for worship this Sunday and be encouraged that we, too, must tell the story of Jesus no matter the consequences. We'll start worship at 10:30 a.m., and I hope you'll consider attending a Bible study this week at 9:15 a.m.
Tell me the old, old story,Pastor Gary
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