Psalm 145:4 NLT

'Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.'

I once participated in a Passover meal and was struck by the level of storytelling that was involved. The great acts of God in leading the children of Israel from slavery towards freedom were explained, with an emphasis that the youngest was informed of this great act of divine deliverance. Story-keeping and storytelling are both key aspects of the life of any community. Families enjoy sitting together and recalling events from long ago as well as the immediate present. How often do we sit around the table and open a sentence with the words, “Do you remember when…”? It’s why it’s important that church communities continue to tell of the great deeds of God recorded in scripture and add personal testimony to how God is equally active in the life of its individual members. Church is the active community of God’s people engaging in faith.

In an age in which the meal table has been exchanged for the breakfast bar, where fast food has replaced home cooking, and grazing preferred to a sit-down meal, it is hard to find those spaces in which storytelling takes place. The fascination with fire pits, sitting around, drinks in hand telling stories reflects that subconscious sense of loss we all suffer through the loss of the meal table.

Technology dilutes community even further with our love affair with mobile devices, and our inability to manage our relationship with them so that they intrude into every social gathering we have. I was recently at a meal with extended family members and sure enough, even my own generation were constantly engaged with mobile phones throughout our Sunday lunch.

It is the stories we each have of God’s dealings in our life that offer the greatest testimony to the reality of that same God in today’s world. This God is as relevant in this relatively fresh millennium as he has been in every preceding one.

QUESTION: How are you keeping the story of God’s engagement in your life alive? Who can you tell and in what context?

PRAYER: Lord, give me opportunities to tell of your grace and greatness to the next generation.