THE POWER OF STORY

                I have a confession to make. I have become a Downton Abby fan. I know that it isn’t the most manly thing to do, but I have been captured by the power of the story. Even this morning, as I was eating my breakfast, I was wondering what is going to happen next. In all seriousness, what this illustrates is the power of a good story. Whether it is a novel, a movie, or a TV series, a well told story can capture both our attention and our heart. We actually begin to care about the people in the story, even though they may be only fictional characters.

                A number of years ago, I encountered a person from a non-Christian religious background. They had begun reading that Bible, and were having a hard time understanding it. They complained that the Bible was just a bunch of stories. They were used to religious writings that are filled with pithy, moralistic statements. They struggled with the narrative style of the Bible.

                Much of the power of the Bible is found in story. When God inspired the Bible, He did not just want to engage our intellect. He also wanted to engage our heart. He used story to get behind our intellectual defenses and to penetrate to our soul. The Bible includes some of the most powerful stories in human history. It is not an accident that Hollywood keeps making movies around the stories in the Bible. Although they often don’t understand the significance of those stories, they recognize their power and influence.

                The four Gospels are the amazing story of Jesus’ life on earth. Each Gospel author gives us a slightly different angle on Jesus. Each one enhances and fills out the story. Taken together we see a fully developed picture of Jesus in all of his complexity. Many people have been captivated by reading the story of Jesus. Whenever I feel like I am losing my perspective on my faith, I go back and reread one of the Gospels. That never fails to rekindle my love for Jesus.

                As amazing as the story of Jesus is, in many ways it has lost its power for many people. The story of Jesus has been made flat and two-dimensional by people who unwittingly have over simplified the story, in an attempt to make it more understandable. Instead of a robust, often challenging, even confrontational, story, it has been sanitized into a collection of quaint, moralistic stories for children. On the other extreme, there have been those who have intentionally sought to strip the story of Jesus of its power. They have attempted to demythologize the Gospel; to make Jesus a mere man, even a tragic hero.

                As we move toward Easter, we have a great opportunity to recapture the power of the story of Jesus. Just as we can be captivated by a story like Downton Abby, we can be captivated by the greatest story of all. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who has come from Father, full of grace and truth. I want to challenge you over the next month to explore again the story of Jesus. You will not be disappointed.

John 20:30-31

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 21:25

 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.