Dear Rose Park,
I love to tell stories, perhaps this is why I enjoy preaching so much. I love sharing the vision, memories, and feelings of a story. I love to tell stories to my kids and friends. Whether it’s the story of how I got a scar when I was younger or the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I love to tell stories.
The Lectionary Psalm for today is a story. Psalm 106: 1-12 is written by an unknown author, but it tells the story of Israel’s past failures and God’s tremendous grace. It tells the story of the Exodus; how even after the wicked and wrongdoings of Israel (as well as their forgetfulness of God’s kindness) God still rebukes the Red Sea, leads the people through the depths as if it were a desert and saves them from the hand of the Egyptians. The author is retelling the story not for information sake, but to remind us all of God’s graciousness despite our failures and sinfulness.
This story and this Psalm remind of a song, it goes like this:
I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant to repeat,
What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.
I love to tell the story,
’Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story of Jesus and His love because it is so pleasant to repeat and each time I tell it, it is more wonderfully sweet. Have you ever felt like this when telling the story of Jesus? Do you remember the first time you heard the story of Jesus and His love? Each and every one of us needs to hear and tell this story over and over and over again. The other stories can be so loud that if we don’t remind each other of the story of Jesus we might find ourselves in the overwhelming cycle of sin and shame.
So, tell the story. Tell the story of how you met your spouse or how you got a scar when you were younger, but tell the story of God’s graciousness despite your failures and sinfulness. Tell the story of Jesus and His love.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark