William Shakespeare, in “As You Like It” composed these famous lines:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
These
words remind us that our lives are part of a larger story that being written
each day. What does this story look like? Our internet connected world flashes
a multitude of competing stories and images at us at a break net speed. All
seek to draw us into to their narrative web. What story or stories shape us?
What images and visions propel forward in our lives.
I
often begin seminars and classes on the Bible by asking this question: What
novel, short story, film, or movie best represents your life as you currently
see yourself? When I’ve done this in small groups, I received some interesting
answers over the years. Many of us resonate with underdog stories of courage
and overcoming odds, romantic tales of love, or the deeds and adventures of
super heroes. Yet there is One Story above all others that beckons for our lives. It is the Bible. As we
seek to advance God’s kingdom in the early decades of the 21st
century, we must re-engage the Story so that we can live as the missional
people that God created us to be.
In the Preface to his sermons, John Wesley wrote these words:
I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: Just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing, -- the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: For this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri [a person of one book]. [1]
The Bible is the story of God’s relentless love for
all creation. It’s narrative traces God’s desire to redeem a lost humanity and
heal a broken creation. When we read
Scripture, we encounter the Creator God who invites us to participate with him
as He advances his mission to bring restoration, forgiveness, reconciliation,
justice, peace, hope, and love through the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus. In the Bible, God reveals his character, his purposes, and his plans so
that we may live as the people whom God created for us to be.
As we seek to advance God’s kingdom in our day, let us realign with God by immersing ourselves anew in the Scriptural story.
© 2015 Brian D. Russell
Brian's recent group study resource Invitation with companion DVD offers a 10 week overview of the Scriptural story with a goal of forming readers in the core biblical truths of mission, community, and holiness and unleashing them into the world to live as a missional community that embodies and reflects God's character for the world.
[1]Preface to Sermons
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