A few weeks ago, the pastors at Open Door started a new sermon series based on Paul’s letter to the church in Colossi. As is the habit at this church, they are still working through the first few verses and have been spending much time talking about what it means to be “in Christ.” Part of their emphasis which stood out to me was that to be “in Christ” means to be a part of His story.
Last night I was watching Australia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman and found this theme of being in a story woven into that film. One of the main characters was a child by the name of Nullah. He was a child born of a native mother and a white father, and was not really accepted by either society. Nullah and others like him were called the Stolen Generation. Being neither native or white, he had no shared story to be a part of. Fortunately, his grandfather, an Aboriginal medicine man was willing to take him under his wing and bring him into that story.
So comes the question, what story am I living in? What story are you living in? Are we living in the great American story of success and power? Are we living in the stories of our families, handed down to us by our parents and their parents? Are we living in the story of our local community, be it church, school, business or other? This is not meant as a criticism or judgment. I too find myself living within certain stories. I raise the issue only to heighten our awareness.
Christ also offers a story to live in. As I mentioned before, part of being in Christ is being part of His story. The story is of God creating a people to love, a people that turn their backs to Him many times. Christ’s is a story of God giving us His law that we might come to know Him and then sending His own Son to embody that law among us. His is a story of a God Who loved His people so much, He sacrificed His own Son to bring us back to Him. This is the story that Jesus Christ invites us to be a part of!
Maybe you are now aware of the stories you are part of in your life. Some of them are healthy ones; some are not. We can choose which stories we will live in. Maybe you know of someone who, like Nullah, is without a story to call their own. Perhaps you can be the one to adopt them into yours or even invite them into Christ’s. His arms are always open to gather in another lost sheep.
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