I Love to Tell the Story...
The presentation at All Saints’ is less than
a week away and I must admit that I am a little behind in my projected
timeline for production. But, true to the form of All Saints’, my sisters
and brothers have come to my rescue in order to have it finished! Thank you
Jesus!
Our history is important both personally and
communally. However, the history is only as important as the way that we use
that history to better our present and future. If it is merely a trip
through nostalgia, it may be a momentary good feeling, but not really all
that helpful. Every church I have served as an Interim Rector I have done a
presentation of their history. I do this in order that we can reflect upon
our history, glean the good and not repeat the hurt. During these evenings
we laugh when we see how we have changed over the years, we cry when we
remember those who have died, we wince when we remember ‘not our best’
moments and we are mostly amazed at the handprint
that God has left through it all. Sometimes it is only when we look back
that we can see
where God has walked with us, carried us and sustained us along the way. As
I put together this history of All Saints’ there are certain themes that
appear and I hope those
who see this history presentation will be able to identify themes and
characteristics that make this church the place that so many people come to
love and cherish.
As most of you know, I love to converse with people about their stories. I
love to tell stories, repeat stories and listen to stories. You can tell a
lot about people by the stories they tell about their history. Some people
tell the story from the prospective of a
constant victim, somehow trying to explain why they are so crazy and non
functional. Others tell stories as the constant hero, somehow trying to
cover up their craziness and
lack of self confidence. The best story tellers tell stories as parables.
They are stories which have a good deal of reflection, learning and a lot of
grace. These stories recognize that we are all a little bit crazy and none
of us can really see ourselves. From time to time, when we reflect upon our
story, we get glimpses of who we are becoming, who God is and the times in
which our paths have crossed.
Jesus mostly used parables in order to teach a greater truth. He was a good
story teller, kept people’s interest and left people thinking about what the
story meant. God tells us stories through our lives and the lives of people
around us. If we just look at the story with interest and go our way then it
is pretty useless. However, if we look at the story from what God might be
trying to tell us then the story is useful. It doesn’t all have to mean
something – sometimes stories are just good stories and people are just
interesting people. Yet, the stories that stick with us are the stories that
somehow touch our lives and our meaning and God tells a lot of those stories
if we are just willing to listen.
--Mother LaRae+
