The Story Continues (8/30/12)

Warren Sentinel Weekly Pulpit

The Story ContinuesReverend Christof A. Weber

Rockland Community Church

August 30, 2012

Where did the summer go? As always, it seems to have slipped by far too quickly. The kids are back in school. Calendars are filling up quickly with all the activities that school, sports, clubs, and so many other things bring with them. We're beginning to think about plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas … in fact, the year seems to be almost over! Where did the summer go? Indeed, where has the year gone?

I hope everyone reading this article had a wonderful, albeit extremely hot, summer. I hope that you found time to spend with family and friends, to enjoy the beauty of God's creation, and maybe even to just get some much needed rest. And I pray that in the busy-ness of life this Fall that you will continue to find and make opportunities for these things too.

Earlier this year (from January to June) the wonderful folks at Rockland Community Church and I explored the Old Testament portion of “The Story” together. The Story is an abridged version of the Bible that is presented in chronological fashion. It reads a bit more like a novel and doesn't have all of the chapter and verse numbers that can be so off-putting to some readers.

The feedback I received from the congregation was overwhelmingly positive. So many people expressed how much they liked reading and studying the Bible together in this way. We spent time in small groups, in Sunday School, and in our worship service looking at a chapter of The Story each week. Almost everyone kept up by reading one chapter of The Story each week and a number of people commented that they were reading parts of the Bible they had never read before or even heard preached on.

All in all I think it was an excellent experience. And so, we are continuing this journey this Fall. During the first week of September we will begin reading and discussing chapter 22 of The Story. Reading about Jesus' birth in September may feel a little strange since we usually only do that in December. But we will quickly over the coming weeks move into his life and ministry, his death and resurrection. And then we will be off into the story of the Early Church and almost as quickly into the letters of Paul and others. On Sunday September 9, I will preach a sermon based on chapter 22. For more information about the small group, Sunday School, and preaching schedule, please visit our website.

Even though we took a break for the summer, I think we will be surprised to see that we will actually be looking at the same story we thought we had finished in June. You see, the Bible doesn't contain two separate stories, but one story. It is the story of God's relentless pursuit to restore humanity to right relationship with himself and with one another.

Yes, the climax of this story is found in Christ Jesus. And, yes, the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus provide meaning to the rest of the story. And yes, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church provide for an ongoing basis for this story. But I believe all of this, along with what we studied in the first half of the year, is one story. It is all the greatest love story ever told.

If you are not involved in a local church, I invite you to join us as we continue this journey together. You can get more information at www.rockland.cc.