07/16 - Sharing the Stories

Sharing the Stories

Psalm 145:3-7 (verse 3 cut off)

"3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness...."

 

• Why we do the things we do...
  • "Vacation" Bible School = A LOT of effort!
  • An over-used phrase: "you planted a seed"
    • "6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work." - 1 Cor 3:6-8 NLT
    • What are the seeds?
      • Holy actions done in Christ's name that make memories
      • ...and STORIES of the Good News of God's Love in Christ
        • Old and New Testaments, and personal testimonies
      • The Purpose of Church
        • Filling ourselves with sacred stories to have the Mind of Christ
        • Preparing ourselves for and facilitating ministries of service, so that we act as the Body of Christ
        • Praising and worshiping (loving!) God, culminating in that Great Day in which we all rest from our labors and worship in His Presence
      • Back to the Basics today...
        • In our songs and confessions we have worshipped...
        • In our participation and donation we have served
        • Now let us share remember the stories...
          
      • One Life Story, one Short Story, and one Parable (and how to read them)
        • With EVERY story we are called to not just gather information, but to place ourselves in the story, see ourselves in its people
        • A Life Story: Abraham's Journey of Faith
          • Called by God Have I had a vision that others could not see?
          • Along with his wife... Have I ever had to trust in another's plans, praying they're not deluded?
          • failed to trust God Have I ever struggled to trust God, or tried to fulfill God's promise through my methods?
          • Lot took the better fields. Have I ever been taken advantage of; have I taken advantage of another's good nature?
          • Yet Abraham argued with God to preserve Lot's life. Have I prayed for a friend who betrayed me?
          • Isaac is born, Ishmael and Hagar are cast out. Have I been betrayed, or the betrayer?
          • God tests Abraham Have I trusted God in times of disappointment and anger?
        • A Short Story: David and Goliath
          • Goliath mocked Israel. Have I faced an impossible task?
          • David could not believe it. Have I ever seen something others have missed, that seems so clear to I but to no others.  Have I been impatient with another unjustly?
          • When David offered to fight, king Saul gave David his own armor, but it just weighed David down. Have I been weighed down by others expectations of how things should be done? Or find myself saying, "but this is the way we've always done this!"
          • One slingshot, and one stone to goliath's forehead, was all it took. In a moment of crisis, have I trusted God, and been delivered?  Have I ever thought, "If I had trusted God, that might have been me!"
          • Saul would soon become jealous of David. Have I done the right thing, won the victory, and been punished for it?
        • A Parable: The Good Samaritan
          • “Who is my neighbor?”  Have I justified my behavior?
          • “A Jewish man was attacked."  Have I been injured by life?
          • “A priest came along and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over but also passed by."  Have I seen others ignore my pain.  Have I been to busy to see the pain of others?
          • “A Samaritan came along, and felt compassion for him." Have I given extravagant mercy and grace, as was given to me?
          • “Now go and do the same.” Have I heard the words of Jesus, and let them change me?
            
        • Making the Stories Ours
          • Wow preacher, I could have done that!
            • But are we doing it? And not just on Sunday or during VBS...
          • What are we?
            • Someone has said we are the sum of what we've done (our memories). We are more than that! 
            • But there is something to learn here about the Gospel:
              • If it is our memories that shape us
              • and our memories are the pieces of our story
              • then taking God's story into our heart shapes us into reflections of Him
            • Let Us Make His Story Ours!!