Today we’re going to do something a little bit different. I’m going to ask you to tell me a story -or several stories. I’d like to ask you to tell me a Bible story. Any Bible story at all, from Creation to Revelation, from Abigail to Zechariah. It doesn’t have to be the whole story – just the main points works too! Anyone?
How did you learn those stories? Do you remember the first person who taught you the stories?
The apostle Paul grew up in a Jewish household, and his father was a Rabbi. He would have learned the stories and sermons, the poems and histories of what we call the Old Testament ,at his father’s knee. Later it’s said that he studied with Rabbi Gamaliel, one of the greatest teachers of the day. He was passionate about his faith – so passionate that he attacked Christians, believing that they were taking people away from the true faith. According to Paul’s own account of his transformation, his opinion of Christianity changed thanks to a heavenly vision. He says no-one taught him the basics of the faith – which is rather interesting, because it means that what he learned when persecuting Christians became the basis of what later inspired his evangelizing mission. According to Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s version of Paul’s story, he in fact received instruction from Ananias, the man who restored both his physical sight and his spiritual sight, and from other followers of Jesus. What he learned, he told – over and over again, all over the known world.
Timothy too, had a passion for the ancient texts of his people – and for the new stories of Jesus: his words, his miracles, his terrible death and amazing resurrection. His mother and grandmother were devout believers, and they would have shared the stories with him. No doubt when Paul “adopted” him as his son in the faith and began to mentor him, he gave Timothy further teaching, giving his own unique spin on what he himself had learned. In the letter to Timothy, the young leaders of the late first century are encouraged to keep their love and passion for the Scriptures and for the Gospel fresh and new, and to keep on sharing what was passed down to them.
What we pass down from generation to generation are exactly that – the stories, the heritage of this book we call the Bible and the rich array of writings we find here. Christianity has changed over the centuries, grown in different directions in different places and times – but the basics are here:
God creating a world and saying it is good; a rainbow promise never to destroy; an elderly couple following God’s promises into a strange land; babies born, and doing remarkable things, and growing old, and seeing another generation born; a people enslaved and a people freed; women and men leading people to military victory; kings and queens staying faithful to God or leading their people astray; songs and sayings and prayers that have inspired millions….a Galilean nobody, a prophet, teacher, and healer who reinterprets the old stories and teachings to give his people hope and transform his society, a cross and an empty tomb….and the stories go on. At the beginning of each communion service, in the great Thanksgiving, we often recite a little capsule version of those stories, giving thanks for that amazing gift. Our translations, our interpretations, our understandings may change – but the stories go on.
This is what we share with one another as Christian people wherever we are found, in what ever country or time or language. No matter where our faith began, who passed it on to us, whether it was from childhood or as an adult, this is our heritage, and we are meant to share it. “We will tell new generations of the things that God has done.” Or as the letter to Timothy says, “Do not neglect the public exhortation of the faith.” We are MEANT to share what we have received – not just within the church walls but outside of it as well. If we do not, then how will others know and experience the life-changing news of Jesus and his love?
We have so many ways to share the story now: social media, websites, blogs, audio programs, movies, TV, books. We can use any of those means of sharing what we have learned. We can also use what has always and will, I suspect always remain, the most effective means of sharing the faith – one to one, or small groups, sharing what we have come to value with the people we know. We can use the language of today to share the stories of the ancients.
Each of has had at least one mentor or teacher in the faith; each of us can mentor and teach others as well. I don’t think we can over-emphasize the importance of having someone you can talk to about your faith journey. Being a Christian in today’s society can be quite isolating. One can feel really out of step with the people we know, as if we’re living in a different world than they are. In a sense, we are – because we’re living by values that are informed by this treasure trove of wisdom (and occasional lack-of-wisdom) and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Our lives are devoted to Jesus, not the Market or whatever God is most being worshipped in our place and time. We need each other to keep telling each other the stories, keep sharing what we have learned, keep talking about what it means to carry a 2000 year old faith in the 21st century.
You don’t have to be an expert in theology to simply tell the story, and tell someone what it means to you – or ask them what it means to them! You can do that, I can do that – as disciples of Jesus we WILL continue to do it. Know the stories; tell the stories. Amen.