Have you ever read a book that drew you in so deeply that you felt like you were actually in the story? Or at least captured you in a way that made you want to be in the story? I recently picked up a book that had just that effect on me. It’s a New York Times best-selling novel about an old man and a small town in Georgia. But what the story is about is less relevant to my point than what the story did.
Really good stories draw us in. They make us feel at one with the narrative. When we encounter one, we can step into it and lose track of where we are. I opened my book one afternoon, and was instantly absorbed. Before I knew it, hours had passed, and I was still reading. For many of us, a really good story can also be a form of escape. For a time, we are transported out of our daily struggles, anxieties, burdens, and obligations. A good book is like a mini vacation.
“True,” you may be thinking. “But I was expecting a blog about God, or mission, or the Bible, or sharing my faith in this space. What does this have to do with that?”
A lot, it turns out.
The Gospel
At the center of our faith is something we call the gospel, and more particularly, as Mark put it, “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) We see that this gospel also is “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mt. 4:23), the “gospel of God” (Mark 1:14), and the “gospel of God’s grace” (Acts. 20:24). In these titles, we see, therefore, that this thing we call “the gospel” is foundational to both our faith and our lives. The gospel is not just about the facts of things that are; it is about who we are.
But what then is the gospel? The Greek word we translate as gospel is euangelion. It is the combination of two words in Greek: eu, meaning “to be well off, good, or prosper,” and angelos, meaning “messenger” or more particularly, “messenger from God.” It is therefore a good message, or as we more commonly understand it, good news. Just as the angel told the shepherds in the field on Christ’s birth: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
The Power of Story
When we think about it, news is a story. We don’t talk of news policies, or news principles, or news codes. We talk of news stories. The gospel, and the Bible in which it resides, is first and foremost a story. It is not a manual for living, or a set of advice. Don’t get me wrong. The Bible is full of important principles, doctrines, and tenets we should follow. But it is more than that. While every other religion sets forth rules, doctrines, and principles to follow, only the Christian faith gives us a story to inhabit. And this sets it apart. We get to dwell in a story, not a series of doctrines or a statement of faith. These are things we live by, not in. And the Bible gives us something more. It’s the greatest story ever; one that, if we truly fathom its beauty, we’ll give everything to get inside. And yet – here’s the best part – we’re already there!
This is significant in many respects, not the least of which is that we are given a story that, when we take it in, resonates with our own stories. As we begin to comprehend the incredible story of grace, understood through the redemption, reintegration, and restoration of our world, we see a pattern. And that pattern shows up in our own lives. The story we are living in is also the stories that are playing out in us. And when we tell those stories, the bigger story, the good news, not only becomes fathomable to others, but also experiential, real, and inviting.
With this in mind, we will use this space over the next several months to talk about how to tell the story of God’s redemptive grace as captured in the Bible. We will explore how we understand and tell our own stories in light of the grace of the gospel. And we will explore stories within the story that carry us along the path toward the greatest conclusion ever to be told. And, God willing, we will gain new insights into how we can bring the story alive for others and in others.
In the meantime, I commend you to take some time to think about your story. How would you begin telling it? What’s the setting? Who are the characters? What does the plot look like? And can you see, or begin to see, the arc of redemption taking shape in it? Next month, we’ll come back to the story you hold of yourself. In the meantime, think a little about what that might be.
