Monday, August 7, 2017

She tells My story




Our pastor, Jeff Wagner, started a sermon series on the Acts of the Apostles.  In the book of  Acts, Jesus presented Himself  alive to the apostles many times over the 40 days after His resurrection.  He talked to them face-to-face about the things concerning the Kingdom of God.  They asked questions and He answered them.  His final words to them were "And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be My witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world."  (Acts 1:8 The MSG)  Jesus picked the apostles to tell His story.  

In our follow-up Bible study, we were asked if we enjoy studying history.  I'm in the middle of watching a John Adams mini-series and I listen to Hamilton regularly, so I said yes.  ðŸ˜† So, Sunday as I was listening to Hamilton, this song "Who lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Our Story"  really made me think about the sermon. Eliza Hamilton read all of her husband's (Alexander Hamilton, for those of you who are not as obsessed as I am!!)  writings and letters.  She interviewed the soldiers he fought with.  She talked to others who were close to him.  Then she took his dreams, which he died too soon to fulfill, and she did something with them.  She told his story.  

(I love the part of the song when Eliza says "I interview every soldier who fought by your side", then the soldiers say "She tells our story".  And when she talks about the Washington Monument, Washington sings "She tells my story".) 

It was so important that the apostles tell Jesus' story.  If they hadn't, we might never have known.  They were eyewitnesses to all He had done.  And it was important for all of the thousands between the apostles and us to carry His story to their generation.  And then to the next.  And so on....

I'm excited over the next weeks and months for Jeff and Tim to tell the apostles' stories, and in the process tell Jesus' story.  

What a great gift to be entrusted with someone's story.  I don't want to  just read His story, and keep it to myself.  I want to be faithful to tell it, and to teach other's to tell it.  I want God to be able to sing over me "She tells My story!!"