Five chores would have elicited complaints, but five stories were never too many!
Our little guy grew up to be an avid reader, immersing himself in stories, not only through books, but also via movies, television shows, and even games.
Stories help us understand our world, and understand ourselves. We are wired to process life through narrative. Jesus knew this and frequently taught using parables.
The Bible is filled with stories. Tales of hardship, of hope, of despair, of triumph. Stories of ordinary, flawed human beings rising to something greater than themselves with God’s help.
“On a general theological level, much has been made of the importance of story or narrative as a peculiarly appropriate vehicle for conveying theological truth. The basic reason for attaching importance to theology in story form is the fact that a story is so widely accessible to young and old, to educated and uneducated alike. Everybody likes a good story; and stories linger in the mind long after other things are forgotten. To say this is, of course, not to say anything new but rather to state the obvious. Followers of Jesus, whose favoured means of teaching was the parable, should find nothing surprising in the idea that stories are a particularly effective means of communicating theological truth. Generally speaking, a recognition of the value of story can be a valuable corrective to the dominant tendency in western theology to abstract and to analyze.” – RWL Moberly
We see ourselves in Jacob’s jealousy, or Sarah’s lack of faith. And we are inspired to be more devoted to God like Joseph, or persistent in prayer like Hannah. The stories of the Bible convict and inspire.
This month the writers here at Do Not Depart will be sharing some of our favorite Old Testament stories, and how those tales helped us understand the narrative of our own lives.
What is your favorite Old Testament story?
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