January 31st, 21

The Story is not Over

We are reading through the New Living Translation.

From Abraham to Stephen, from A to S, we see the story of God.  There are still more letters in the alphabet. The story is not over yet.  Stephen is giving us a sweeping historical account of God’s story, to open the eyes of people who are trapped in their own story, and blinded to God’s.  It’s so easy to do.  We get swept up into our own story, our ambitions, our pride, our past, our shame, and regrets.  We can be so buried and blinded by our small story, that we can’t see that we are part of a  bigger story, of what God is doing - His great story of love for us.

Stephen is showing us that all of history is pointing to Christ. It’s not pointing to us. Christ is the one that Moses and the prophets foretold.  Christ is the one who has come to free us and open our eyes to God’s sweeping and transforming love for us, and the whole world.  Christ offers himself to all those who will humble themselves to God’s story – his Gospel  - Christ himself.  

Those picking up stones to kill Stephen, were blinded by their own story.  They couldn’t see what God was doing.  But Stephen could.  He knew that his story only made sense in the context of God’s great story of love for him.  When we live in the light and power of God’s story, we can do all that God has intended for us to do in this life.  We can make sense of our past, and have an answer for our shame, and failure, our regrets, and disappointments.  Our story is only going to make sense in light of God’s great story of love for us.  

Seeing ourselves in God’s story enables us to forgive those who have hurt us, even those trying to kill us, as was the case in Stephens’s  life at this moment.  Stephen is doing the unthinkable and impossible. He’s giving a history lesson.  From Abraham to Stephen, the story moves on.  And eyes are opened. Blind eyes are given sight.  

One of the bystanders hearing Stephen, is blinded to God’s great story of love.  People are putting their coats at his feet as they pick up rocks to stone Stephen.  His name is Saul, but it will soon be Paul   His eyes are blinded to his place in God’s great story of love, the A to S story that Stephen has just told . He doesn’t see how he fits into what God is doing. But soon he will.  Because it’s not A to Z yet.  The story is not all told. It won’t be too much longer before scales literally come off of Saul’s eyes.  His blinded eyes will see what Stephen saw, as he looked up into Heaven – the Son of Man,  standing at the right hand of the Holy One.  Paul will see, too, that his life is woven into the great story of God’s love for the world.  God’s great story will continue on!

God’s story is not over.  You are a part of God’s story of Love! God has created you to live and love and serve, through his power.  You are part of the story of Abraham and  Stephen, and Paul.  It is continuing with you, and those beyond you. 

May we step into all that God has for us, in His story.

You are loved!