Stories are significant and they mean so much to us. They always have. Stories connect us to one another, to those who were there when the story happened, and to those who aren’t with us anymore. Stories say a bit of who we are and where we’ve been. They explain our smiles and our scars. Stories break open deep and abiding truths and they have a way of inviting us to go deep and abide with truth.
The sacred scriptures of any religion are made up of stories, in our case, stories of salvation. For some of us, familiar stories can be so personally powerful that we almost feel like we were there. Can’t you remember the expressions on Joseph’s brothers’ faces when they realize that their brother, who they brutally betrayed, was in authority over whether they would receive life-saving help. Isn’t it as clear as yesterday (or this past Sunday) the way the Israelites waded into the waves of the Red Sea, even up to their necks, before the waters parted? Don’t you remember that hug when the forgiving father lifts up his prodigal son, arms wrapped tightly around him, before throwing that great big celebration? That really was a great party that followed. Do you remember it?
This year in the Redeemer Youth Group (RYG), we’re sharing our stories. In addition to the fun games and team-building exercises, the corn maze and Oriole’s game, the meals served and shared at Baltimore Station and My Sister’s Place, the play, the minigolf and laser tag, the lock-in and walk through Holy Week, we will be hearing and sharing our stories.
Folks from around our community, staff members and parishioners, will share their story with us. Maybe they’ll share about how they got to be where they are today. Maybe they’ll share about a moment or experience that changed their life or pointed them in a particular direction. Maybe they’ll share about a mentor or hero in their lives. But we’ll share the gift of hearing their stories. And in the spring, our seniors will have a chance to share their stories.
If you had an opportunity, what story would you share? When’s the last time that you shared your story? Recently our parish vestry and history committee have researched and broken open our story as a community. It’s a story that we continue to share, a story that we continue to write.
What’s your story? Will you share it? I hope you do.