GOD'S STORY ~ MY STORY

We live in a time of uncertainty, ambiguity and complexity.

In our day we have witnessed random violence striking down people on their way to work, in their workplaces and in their schools. With increasing frequency companies are bought and sold and employees laid off.

These are extreme examples but they indicate the uncertainty that marks our time.

We also live in a time of complexity. For instance, we know more about genes than we've ever known before, but we also have more questions than ever before. Its the same with the stars. Recently, astronomers detected a mysterious cloud of particles spewing more than 17,400 trillion miles into space like a massive fountain. Scientists who announced the discovery said they were amazed, perplexed and delighted.

As each person experiences life and tries to make sense of it all, they come to realize they have a story to tell, the story of their life.

General Douglas McArthur did this in a splendid way, when at the end of his career he spoke to the cadets at West Point and concluded by saying,

"In the evening of my memory, I always come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes in my ears: Duty-Honor-Country." Earlier in the same speech he said to the cadets, "Duty-Honor-Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be and what you will be." Duty-Honor-Country. This is the story General Douglas McArthur heard when he first went to West Point and the story that shaped his life.

But there is more than just one's own story. There is "Our Story". This is the story of the groups one belongs to: the family, the athletic team, the community, the nation. Finally there is God's Story. For Christians, Jews and Muslims, God's Story is told through the stories of the Bible. For Christians, God's story is most clearly told through life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God's Story helps a person understand and interpret their personal story and the story of the group.