Heroes and storytellers
24/08/14 05:07
We want to live in a world of heroes, where one life can make a difference. The stories of our people are filled with heros who take amazing risks;and make amazing differences in the course of history. Abraham and Sarah set off from the land of their parents and set our story in motion. The future of our people hangs in the balance as Isaac is nearly sacrificed. Jacob’s choice of a bride and his father-in-law’s sense of propriety sets in motion the conflict that ends with the dreamer Joseph in Egypt in time to save our people from starvation and to set up the extended stay that turns into slavery. Moses’ decision to follow God’s call becomes a way out of slavery that turns to a 40-year wander in the wilderness. Again and again the future of our people rests on the shoulders of amazing individuals who rise to the occasion and propel our story into a new generation.
And we know, from the experiences of our own lives, that one life can make a huge difference. The story of South Africa without Nelson Mandela is tragically different.
But we also live in a world where there are plenty of tasks that cannot be accomplished by a single individual. It takes teamwork, cooperation and community to do many of the really big tasks. Neil Armstrong’s step onto the surface of the moon is dependent upon thousands of engineers and visionary planners, and a huge commitment of public funds. Without a nation of taxpayers, the feat would never have occurred.
I go back and forth in my own desires. Sometimes i want to be the up front leader who provides the vision for a congregation to move forward and build their future. Sometimes I prefer to simply be a worker in God’s realm where everyone has a purpose and everyone works together. I am well aware that there is a big difference between what I want and what God is calling me to do, but I am not able to completely leave what I want behind. I know that the genuine prophets of our people are few and far between - that sometimes there are hundreds of years between those chosen for that unique role. Some are called to do really big things for God. For some doing the small tasks is sufficient.
It may well be that doing the little things is my vocation.
I can listen and share the grief of families. I can interpret a verse of scripture in a time of transition. I can remember a tradition when others have forgotten. I can tell the stories of our people to those who have not heard them and to those who need to hear them again. I am no Moses or Jeremiah or Paul. But I don’t need to be. It is enough to just be me.
Of course it isn’t an easy job to be a hero.
Moses had to give up a lot to walk away from his flocks and become God’s spokesman. Isaiah had to taste burning coals on his lips to find the words to speak on God’s behalf. Martin Luther King, Jr. had to subject his family to terror and the death of their father in order to be a voice for justice. The costs are as high as possible. The price paid by God’s genuine heroes is complete. Some days I wonder if I have the energy to just keep on going.
But there is more to our people than just the actions of the big heroes. Our heroes are heroes only as long as we remember their stories. It isn’t just that Moses led our people out of the land of slavery into the adventures of freedom. It is that our people remembered God’s command to teach the story to every generation - to make sure that our children heard the story when they were going to bed and when they were getting up and at mealtime and between meals as well. The commandment to never forget our story is as critical to our identity as are the events of our history.
And ours isn’t a time that is particularly fond of keeping tradition alive. It is not particularly a time of honoring history. Our memories tend to be short and our vision narrow. We often live our lives as if it all came down to a single generation instead of as a people who understand that we have a past and a future that stretches out for millennia.
Perhaps there is a bit of a hero in anyone who commits her or his life to simply telling the stories - to keeping the traditions alive for one more generation. Certainly it is an honor to be asked to tell the stories of our people. Certainly it is an honor to be asked to uphold the traditions whether the occasion be a wedding or the celebration of the sacraments or officiating at a proper funeral for one of God’s faithful people.
Living in a time where new technology is redefining the ways we communicate our message simply focusing on the integrity of the message in the face of the temptation to focus on the media is a job of significance.
I often remark to couples getting married that their promises open up to them the possibility of communicating with all of their lives - heard and mind and body and soul. Then I admonish them to never forget to talk - that words are as critical to communication as any other form. Talking about the big things and the little things is the way to create a bridge between two souls that can bring forth futures.
So too it is with our story. We have been given all sorts of ways of communicating. We can make movies and sent text messages. We can tweet and Skype and instagram. But we must never forget the simple art of telling the stories of our people. Our story is more than the record of where we have been. It is also the key to our future.
It may not make me a hero, but it is an honor to be a teller of our stories.
And we know, from the experiences of our own lives, that one life can make a huge difference. The story of South Africa without Nelson Mandela is tragically different.
But we also live in a world where there are plenty of tasks that cannot be accomplished by a single individual. It takes teamwork, cooperation and community to do many of the really big tasks. Neil Armstrong’s step onto the surface of the moon is dependent upon thousands of engineers and visionary planners, and a huge commitment of public funds. Without a nation of taxpayers, the feat would never have occurred.
I go back and forth in my own desires. Sometimes i want to be the up front leader who provides the vision for a congregation to move forward and build their future. Sometimes I prefer to simply be a worker in God’s realm where everyone has a purpose and everyone works together. I am well aware that there is a big difference between what I want and what God is calling me to do, but I am not able to completely leave what I want behind. I know that the genuine prophets of our people are few and far between - that sometimes there are hundreds of years between those chosen for that unique role. Some are called to do really big things for God. For some doing the small tasks is sufficient.
It may well be that doing the little things is my vocation.
I can listen and share the grief of families. I can interpret a verse of scripture in a time of transition. I can remember a tradition when others have forgotten. I can tell the stories of our people to those who have not heard them and to those who need to hear them again. I am no Moses or Jeremiah or Paul. But I don’t need to be. It is enough to just be me.
Of course it isn’t an easy job to be a hero.
Moses had to give up a lot to walk away from his flocks and become God’s spokesman. Isaiah had to taste burning coals on his lips to find the words to speak on God’s behalf. Martin Luther King, Jr. had to subject his family to terror and the death of their father in order to be a voice for justice. The costs are as high as possible. The price paid by God’s genuine heroes is complete. Some days I wonder if I have the energy to just keep on going.
But there is more to our people than just the actions of the big heroes. Our heroes are heroes only as long as we remember their stories. It isn’t just that Moses led our people out of the land of slavery into the adventures of freedom. It is that our people remembered God’s command to teach the story to every generation - to make sure that our children heard the story when they were going to bed and when they were getting up and at mealtime and between meals as well. The commandment to never forget our story is as critical to our identity as are the events of our history.
And ours isn’t a time that is particularly fond of keeping tradition alive. It is not particularly a time of honoring history. Our memories tend to be short and our vision narrow. We often live our lives as if it all came down to a single generation instead of as a people who understand that we have a past and a future that stretches out for millennia.
Perhaps there is a bit of a hero in anyone who commits her or his life to simply telling the stories - to keeping the traditions alive for one more generation. Certainly it is an honor to be asked to tell the stories of our people. Certainly it is an honor to be asked to uphold the traditions whether the occasion be a wedding or the celebration of the sacraments or officiating at a proper funeral for one of God’s faithful people.
Living in a time where new technology is redefining the ways we communicate our message simply focusing on the integrity of the message in the face of the temptation to focus on the media is a job of significance.
I often remark to couples getting married that their promises open up to them the possibility of communicating with all of their lives - heard and mind and body and soul. Then I admonish them to never forget to talk - that words are as critical to communication as any other form. Talking about the big things and the little things is the way to create a bridge between two souls that can bring forth futures.
So too it is with our story. We have been given all sorts of ways of communicating. We can make movies and sent text messages. We can tweet and Skype and instagram. But we must never forget the simple art of telling the stories of our people. Our story is more than the record of where we have been. It is also the key to our future.
It may not make me a hero, but it is an honor to be a teller of our stories.