| I've been thinking some about stories lately. Dave is teaching Joshua as a story that illustrates another story-- the story of the Christian walk-- that isn't really a story, but an experience. But it's related to the Great Story of Creation-Fall-Redemption and tied into all the little stories that make up the great story.
For example, tonight we saw how Rahab the prostitute had faith in the God of Israel and saved the spies and her own family. And her great faith is recounted in three places in the New Testament, including mention in the genealogy of Christ as the Great-Great-Grandmother of King David himself. Woven into the Great Story of the redemption of all humankind, the coming of the King of Kings, is the story of the redemption of a harlot, who was the ancestor of a king-- a type of the King.
It's funny that sometimes when you know the story in part, it's more fun to "discover" the truth of it as you experience it coming together. The more we understand the big picture of scripture, the more exciting the little stories are as we see them freshly as part of the Great Story. And the more of the little stories we "get" through study and prayerful reading, the more of the Big Story we see and understand and so forth. The more you learn, the more you learn. It's counterintuitive, in some ways-- we don't often like to know the ending before we see the movies or read the book . . . . do we? I think we do. The better the book, the better the movie, the better the story, the more we enjoy the second and third and fourth readings!!
This was illustrated tonight in my house. I'm reading The Fellowship of the Ring to my youngest, who is eight. He knows the major characters and the outline of the story, though he has not seen the movie or read the book. Last night, we got to the part where the hobbits meet "Strider" for the first time and they don't know what to think of him. The chapter ends. He begged me tell him whether Strider was a good guy or a bad guy . . . but when I was ready to give in, he told me that he'd rather wait. Tonight, we found out. I read the passage:
"But I am the real Strider, fortunately," he said, looking down at them with his face softened by a sudden smile. "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will."
At that, my son jumped up from the couch in exultation. He chanted, "Aragorn, Aragorn, Aragorn!" as if he had just seen a rock star. He didn't know . . . but he knew enough.
When we see the beauty of stories unfold when we have only a clue or just a glimpse, what a joy it is to see more and more. The Lord is gracious to allow us that gift of seeing in part, learning in part, searching, finding. |
