"For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake." (2 Cor 4:5)
As I've been thinking more about the previous post this morning, I've been struck by this verse. I come from a tradition that isn't too big on testimony, especially when it comes to sharing how God has been working in and through the things we've done for others. Let me be clear. There are some people in my community of faith who would prefer not to have people to share experiences like the one I described below, because they are think we are "tooting our own horn." Now, I know that some of this stems from a desire to not be like the religious leaders who stand on the street corner touting their holiness, but this overly pietistic approach has stolen an invaluable asset of the people of God: our own experiences, narratives, and stories as a means of discerning the work of God.
Consider for example the text from 2 Cor 4:5 above. Now it seems to support the line of thinking that would have us minimize testimony and experiential narration in our public gatherings. But, then consider the verse in its context. The entire chapter, along with the surrounding chapters, is simply lofty theory and makes little sense outside of the very real, concrete experiences and subsequent stories of being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. Each of these words carries with it the weight of story. With each one, memories of experiences come flooding into the mind: the experiences of Paul and his companions, the experiences of others throughout history, the experience of friends, my own experiences.
Narrating our faith is vital for the people of God to recover the ability to discern what God is doing in the world and how, as a friend and student of mine put it recently, the Word of Scripture has hermeneutic value today. If this story, the drama of Scripture, will truly be our story, then we must tell our own stories so that they find a home and a new life in its light.
1 comment:
Without saying that personal experience trumps as the authoritative voice, I do have to say that I can't imagine reaching the "missing" among us without the power of someone personal story of God breaking into their world. It seems like it is a critical starting point that we can't afford to miss.
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