Pastor Tone

10th February 2009

Post

Stories

The past two nights my kids have been loving making up stories. Actually they just like me to make up the stories. They dont really care what the stories are about they just like stories. But here is the thing, the one thing they care about is, do you know?

The one thing my kids care about is… that they are in the story. See if they are not in the story, then they tune out. They may laugh if the story is about some other kid, but as soon as I put thier name in the story. They begin to listen intently. If the character with thier name is scared or in a bad situation, I can see it on thier face they begin to become concerned with what will happen next. If the character is eating candy, they are thrilled!

You know as I was thinking about story telling yesterday, I though you know, that is why Jesus did it, it is why the bible has so many stories, oh yeah they are about David and Job and those guys. And we read and yeah its just a story to some people. But the stories come alive, when you are in the story. When you relate to the character. When you ask yourself who am I in this story? That is when the story becomes real. Who are you in this story?

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

I was telling a story and in the story I told yesterday, Anna my oldest daughter saved Libby from a Tiger(Laney) and a Cobra (Anthony). But Anna died. Anna began to cry, she covered her eyes, she didnt want to die. Anthony looked at her and said “looks like your are out of the story (with a little brotherly grin,). I told him not yet, that Anna had taken anti-venom before the snake bit her, but she layed thier paralyzed for 3 days. They began to understand my parable. At the end I asked them who was Jesus in this Story, Anna smiled and said me! And who got saved from the snake? Libby said “Me!”. Oh to be in the Story.

The reality of the Story is this “God so loved __________(your name), that He gave His only begotten Son, that if _________(your name) would believe in Him __________ (your name) would not perish but have eternal life.”

Put your name in the Story.