GK Chesterton once wrote, “I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought perhaps it involved a magician…I had always felt life first as a story; and if there is a story there is a storyteller.”
I believe that there is a drama that God has been weaving together for centuries. We—you and I—are part of that drama. Some of us have received God’s invitation to come and commune with Him. We have only experienced a glimpse of that communion now, but we believe that one day it will be realized in a fuller sense than we could ever imagine! And we are called to be God’s “storytellers.”
Just as a tapestry looks disjointed and unorganized on the backside, it is turned over to reveal a beautiful masterpiece for the creator’s delight and glory. In a similar way, we may not be able to make sense of our lives at times. We may not be able to understand why this thread is here and the other one over there, but let me assure you, God is working it all out for our ultimate good and for His ultimate glory! There is an epic story underway.
My friend Mark Sherman is an outstanding storyteller. He is always on the lookout for stories to tell—and he tells them incredibly well! Mark loves to highlight how God is at work in some of the most interesting ways. As he puts it, “it’s an honor for me to travel around and just stop and get a glimpse of what God is doing.” According to Mark, the goal of his storytelling is to “bring glory to Him and honor across the whole world!”
When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, in what we know today as The Triumphal Entry, in Luke 19, He made it clear that His story will be told—even if the rocks have to cry out: “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out”(Luke 19:37-40).
Here is the plot of the ultimate story: Jesus Christ, by His grace, cleanses every sinner who comes to Him in faith and repentance. Jesus was the only one who was perfect, and by His death on the cross, His “perfection” is transferred to us. In God’s eyes, as He looks at us through Jesus, we are also “perfect.” Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, He (Jesus) became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
This is really good news! We are “perfect” in God’s eyes because of Jesus, and the fact that He paid the penalty for all of our sin. And in that first hour of faith, we begin to experience all the beauty, and intimacy and adventure that we were made for!
Wherever God has called us, will we choose to firmly fix our hope in Jesus Christ? We can experience His hope, and then we can look for ways to reflect His hope to others! We tell our stories through our lips AND our lives. What story are we telling to those around us?