I will be in the pulpit at FPC, Troy for the first time since 5/22/2011. I had a wonderful time on my Clergy Renewal, with much of it spent listening and sharing stories with people. This fall I will be preaching on ideas/stories/reflections from my Clergy Renewal experience.
This Sunday we will begin by thinking about stories - God's story, our stories, the stories of the community of faith, and other people's stories - and how they shape and inform us as we grow in our own faith.
Psalm 124 indicates that the Israelites told the story of their experience of God to guide them and sustain them as a people.
In Matthew I was struck by how the story told by those who had witnessed Jesus cast the demons into the herd of swine led the listeners to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. I wonder how they told the story?
How we tell our story does matter as others notice (or miss) the faith claims we might (or might not) make. When you tell stories from your life, do you connect what has happened to your faith claim?
Finally, I am reminded that in order for God's story to continue to impact us, we need to not only see how our story is a part of God's ongoing story, but we need to read the stories (yes, the Bible) of God's people who have come before us.
Looking forward to being back in the pulpit!
Peace,
Richard
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