I love to tell the story

Many of you have not heard from me in several weeks. I have been secluded in the church office until late at night trying to finish a video production of (All Saints, Tupelo Mississippi) church history. The presentation at All Saints is less than a week away and I must admit that I am a little behind in my projected timeline for production. But, true to the form of All Saints, my sisters and brothers have come to my rescue in order to have it finished! Thank you Jesus!
Our history is important both personally and communally. However, the history is only as important as the way that we use that history to better our present and future. If it is merely a trip through nostalgia, it may be a momentary good feeling, but not really all that helpful. Every church I have served as an Interim Rector I have done a presentation of their history. I do this in order that we can reflect upon our history, glean the good and not repeat the hurt. During these evenings we laugh when we see how we have changed over the years, we cry when we remember those who have died, we wince when we remember ‘not our best’ moments and we are mostly amazed at the handprint that God has left through it all. Sometimes it is only when we look back that we can see where God has walked with us, carried us and sustained us along the way. As I put together this history of All Saints there are certain themes that appear and I hope those who see this history presentation will be able to identify themes and characteristics that make this church the place that so many people come to love and cherish.
As most of you know, I love to converse with people about their stories. I love to tell stories, repeat stories and listen to stories. You can tell a lot about people by the stories they tell about their history. Some people tell the story from the prospective of a constant victim, somehow trying to explain why they are so crazy and non functional. Others tell stories as the constant hero, somehow trying to cover up their craziness and lack of self confidence. The best story tellers tell stories as parables. They are stories which have a good deal of reflection, learning and a lot of grace. These stories recognize that we are all a little bit crazy and none of us can really see ourselves. From time to time, when we reflect upon our story, we get glimpses of who we are becoming, who God is and the times in which our paths have crossed.
Jesus mostly used parables in order to teach a greater truth. He was a good story teller, kept people’s interest and left people thinking about what the story meant. God tells us stories through our lives and the lives of people around us. If we just look at the story with interest and go our way then it is pretty useless. However, if we look at the story from what God might be trying to tell us then the story is useful. It doesn’t all have to mean something – sometimes stories are just good stories and people are just interesting people. Yet, the stories that stick with us are the stories that somehow touch our lives and our meaning and God tells a lot of those stories if we are just willing to listen.