When Christians fail to understand the Gospel—when they’re rigidly legalistic; when they persist in pharisaical arrogance; when they interpret Scripture like it’s a dusty textbook on the shelf of a law firm, best used to prove a point when the situation demands—I tend to ask one question:
“Why do you think the Bible is so long?”
They’re confused at first. It’s long because there’s lots of information? Because there are so many rules? Because God requires a lot of description?
No, no, and no. It’s long because there are so many stories and poems.
The next question is just as important: Why are there so many stories and poems?
If faith is about knowing the information that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins, then why do we need more than the description of that? Or if faithful living is about following the rules set out in Scripture, why do we need more than the Ten Commandments? Why not just create a list of tenets and expectations, like an employee’s handbook?
Why so many stories?
This is the key to understanding the Wesleyan (that’s us!) view of Scripture. We believe that faith is to be lived as part of a great story—the story that God is writing with the whole universe. There is a trajectory of faithfulness that spans from the dawn of creation to the end of all things. But more than that—there is a growing relationship.
When you read the Bible as a growing crescendo of stories describing the way God has been revealing Himself to humanity, even the odd (or alarming) portions of the Bible start to make more sense.
Scripture is the story of how God has been letting us get to know Him.
And! The Bible tells us from the beginning that we were created in His image (Genesis 1:27): that God is a storyteller, an artist, a sculptor, a Creator, is a clue to the divine gift of life instilled in each human being. We are created to be creative, because that is who God is. People have always been at our healthiest and most fulfilled when we lean into this God-given creative nature.
So if you haven’t done so, perhaps now is the time to find how you were created to create. Are you a storyteller? Write your story! There’s a wonderful group of writers at Crossroads that help each other learn how to create with words (just seek Judy Roberts, usually found greeting in the lobby, for details).
Are you an artist? Make art! Crossroads offers an art & worship night on the second Friday of every month. You can bring your own project, or make use of the many supplies we keep on hand. Nate Kunkle—often found in the sound booth at the back of the sanctuary—can tell you more.
Are you a quilter? Or you’d like to learn? Comfort Quilters is a long-standing ministry of Crossroads that creates quilts to be given to people in the hospital or suffering from a serious illness. Every quilt is prayed over and delivered with a handwritten note. For this creative ministry or any of the others, you can contact the church office to find out how to get involved.
This issue of the Crossroads Chronicles is about faith and storytelling, but there are so many ways to tell your story. God has created you with the spark of one of them, because that’s who He is. Today could be the day you find a way to share it with the world around you.
