Stories are powerful. They tap into the emotions a lot more quickly and effectively than raw data. Because they are both effective and efficient it is easy to rely on them too heavily. I have heard sermons that had many powerful stories in them but in the mix of the story telling I wasn’t really sure where to find scripture in what I was hearing. I have also heard sermons and probably even preached them that were so dry that I thought what they really needed were a few more stories.
But stories can only take you so far…well, quite far, actually. Like anything that works, they can become a crutch that hobbles us and cripples us from tapping into the raw power of scripture. Often even in scripture itself raw truths are framed up by story and for a good reason…because stories work. Our database of stories must keep us coming back to scripture. If we don’t do that, we might become a renowned raconteur but it will lack the real panache that comes from the deep well of the inspired God story.
One Response
We must learn to see and read scripture as a living context. Applying scripture to their lives for many can be compared to moving bricks from one place to build a house in another,,,after a while, it just gets too tiring and boring. But when we sing the scripture with a new heart each day, it becomes our breath.