ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 22, 2023
In worship today, we are going to be talking about the very real possibility of allowing a story that is not of God (or even from someone who loves you and has your best interest in mind) to be a defining story in your life. It can be a simple story, maybe one that doesn’t even impact you on a daily basis, or it can be a story that defines you in every way a person can be defined. I wish it did not happen, but it does. Yet awareness gained through prayer, discernment, and the help of others can have us see more clearly. In Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, he writes about wanting his readers to know the good message he is preaching. This message is a story, the story of God’s redemptive and transformative love made real in Jesus. From there, Paul becomes a bit autobiographical as he explains what it means to know the message and the change it brought to his life. It became his defining story. Though Paul’s moment of transformation was powerful, he continued to work and struggle. Later, he would write about not doing the things he knew he should do while doing the things he knew he should not do. There were probably some remnants of old unhealthy stories whispering inside his head. I don’t know if any of us can completely clean the closets of our minds of everything that will attempt to tell us something other than the Jesus message, but the more we become aware of those stories, the more ineffectual they become in defining who we are.
You love me beyond measure, O God, as you love each and every person that has lived, is living, and will live. You desire for all of us to live in the abundance of goodness and grace, free from the voices of guilt and grief; free from the stories of hate and misogyny; free from the narratives seeking to limit our possibilities. Continue to tell us stories about Jesus and his love—stories that will lead us to healing and wholeness. Amen.
