It's THE Story that Drives You
Assumption (borrowed from Walter Bruggeman): Everone lives by a script....That is a larger narrative or story from which your life finds validation or meaning.
Realization: I don't really know my script.
I was reading today about how in the Jewish culture of Jesus day, everyone grew up learning the Torah. From as early as age 6 children were surrounded by it and taugt their story...the story of God and Israel. It was not uncommon that by the age of 12, most people had the Torah memorized. Genesis through Deuteronomy MEMORIZED! Not only did they know their script, but the pattern of their lives rehearsed it. From Sabbath to sacrifices to Passover and beyond, they regularly rehearsed and lived their lives within this story. Comparatively, I don't have a clue about my story...especially since their story is actually a part of mine. It's not that I don't care about my story or I haven't read the Bible, but I have this unsettling feeling that I only know part of my story. Maybe it's because I've more often heard (or read) the Bible as sound bytes (that reinforce my point of view) and not THE entire story. Maybe I let my life be informed and distracted by other scripts. Maybe the patterns of my life are shaped more by who is in the Super Bowl and where I can watch it, than how I am re-enacting and re-telling the story of God. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. When Jesus called the disciples and said "Come, follow me," they dropped their livelihood, changed the course of their lives and lived in a new story. Being good Jewish boys, I'm sure they had a pretty good handle on the Torah, but they were fishermen and tax collectors, not disciples of a rabbi. They were not training to be spiritual leaders. But when Jesus called, they took on the yoke (or teaching) of Jesus and learned to live in it. They got a new script. Then Jesus left and they were given the task of telling this huge story. But it was their story. That's what I want. I want the story of God to be my story. I want to know it inside and out. I want it to be the story I live in...the story that drives me above all else.
Realization: I don't really know my script.
I was reading today about how in the Jewish culture of Jesus day, everyone grew up learning the Torah. From as early as age 6 children were surrounded by it and taugt their story...the story of God and Israel. It was not uncommon that by the age of 12, most people had the Torah memorized. Genesis through Deuteronomy MEMORIZED! Not only did they know their script, but the pattern of their lives rehearsed it. From Sabbath to sacrifices to Passover and beyond, they regularly rehearsed and lived their lives within this story. Comparatively, I don't have a clue about my story...especially since their story is actually a part of mine. It's not that I don't care about my story or I haven't read the Bible, but I have this unsettling feeling that I only know part of my story. Maybe it's because I've more often heard (or read) the Bible as sound bytes (that reinforce my point of view) and not THE entire story. Maybe I let my life be informed and distracted by other scripts. Maybe the patterns of my life are shaped more by who is in the Super Bowl and where I can watch it, than how I am re-enacting and re-telling the story of God. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. When Jesus called the disciples and said "Come, follow me," they dropped their livelihood, changed the course of their lives and lived in a new story. Being good Jewish boys, I'm sure they had a pretty good handle on the Torah, but they were fishermen and tax collectors, not disciples of a rabbi. They were not training to be spiritual leaders. But when Jesus called, they took on the yoke (or teaching) of Jesus and learned to live in it. They got a new script. Then Jesus left and they were given the task of telling this huge story. But it was their story. That's what I want. I want the story of God to be my story. I want to know it inside and out. I want it to be the story I live in...the story that drives me above all else.
posted by justin ubel at 10:58 AM
2 Comments:
And you know when Jesus told them that he would make them "Fishers of Men" Jesus wasn't saying I will make you save men. "Fishers of Men" was a saying that was used back then to say someone could Captivate the minds of men. So when Jesus was telling them to come follow him and make he would make them fishers of men, he was saying he would show them how to captivate the minds of men!
I love the thoughts keep posting!
- God Bless
i wanna go to hedgehouse & pretend i know what you're talking about.
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