Pastor Devin Strong, Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church
Human beings love stories. We love them in books and in jokes; we love them in movies and on TV; We even love them set to music. Stories entertain us, teach us, and challenge us. It is no surprise then that stories are also part of our faith journey.
Jesus, of course, was a fabulous storyteller. He told parables to bring complex theological ideas down to the level of everyday life. He told stories to help us see the worst and the best in ourselves, and often he told parables without obvious endings to get us wrestling with our own understandings of God. The Jews built on Jesus’ love of storytelling with the great tradition of midrash, which is telling stories about stories in the Bible.
Often a midrash will take an old story and update it for modern times. Christians also tell stories. Sometimes we call them testimonies, personal stories about how God has been working in our lives. But Lutherans stink at testimony. We come by this honestly. Ethnically, many of us come from German, Swedish, or Norwegian roots, so it is not easy for us to speak from the heart. We will argue ideas with you all day long, but don’t ask us to speak about our feelings! On top of that, some of us were raised in homes where our faith in Jesus was a private matter. Lots of us would rather endure root canal than talk about our relationship with the Lord in front of others!
Still, stories have power, more power than statistics, facts, and Bible verses put together, so for the last several years at Spirit of Peace, we have built our annual stewardship campaign around storytelling. Between October 11th and November 15th, we will invite some newer members and some older members to share their stories on video and in print. The goal is for all of us to catch a glimpse of what a living faith looks like outside the Bible. Of course, the people who will share their stories are not superstars. They are just like you and me, and that’s the point. They will tell us honestly about their struggles to live like Jesus and their earnest desires to be more faith-filled.
Testimony is not a Marvel superhero movie. It is a snapshot of the rough spots in life as well as the unexpected encounters with God’s grace. A good testimony can make you laugh and cry all in the same three minutes! Testimony is important because it reminds us that we are not alone. In our dark days, you and I can manage to convince ourselves that we are the only ones ever to suffer like we do. Hearing someone else’s testimony can dispel that fantasy.
Likewise, when someone else tells us how God has been powerfully present in their life, it can cause us to look a little harder to find the divine active in our days, too.
We will use personal stories to celebrate God living and active in our midst. We will also use them to encourage generosity of time, talent, and treasure for the coming year. Real stories transform lives, but shhh!
Don’t tell anyone! If you listen carefully over the coming weeks, you might just hear a Lutheran testifying!