The Stories We Know and the Truth We’re Still Learning
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Do you have a favorite book or movie? I have several movies I can watch over and over because I enjoy them so much. Whenever I find them on television, I can sit and enjoy them almost like I'm seeing them for the first time. Some other movies I can virtually recite word for word and still enjoy time and again. One thing that helps me enjoy those stories is that I regularly find something new each time I watch them.
I find the same thing to be true about Bible stories. Each time I read a story, the Holy Spirit shows me something that keeps the story both comfortably familiar and creatively fresh. For instance, this summer our Bible study group was reading a book about Moses. I’ve read through the story of the Exodus several times before. Still, in this instance the Spirit revealed that the Israelites’ constant grumbling is an example of a universal problem for all people. The Spirit also reinforced God's amazing grace as God continued to show up for them and keep all the promises God made to them and their ancestors.
This month we’re starting a sermon series entitled “Back to Sunday School.” The connection to the time of year is obvious. However, this is an opportunity to revisit Bible stories many of us learned in Sunday School, or perhaps even from popular movies, or simply as they are discussed in pop culture. We’ll examine what Scripture tells us about these stories more closely, correct what the world gets wrong about them, and reinforce the lesson the Word is teaching through them.
We've spent a lot of time in recent weeks talking about stories. Brothers and sisters shared powerful moments and movements of God in their lives. Even if we knew these siblings well, God showed us something new as we heard these stories. Be excited for what new things God will reveal as we hear some of God’s stories anew.
Pastor Scott
