The Story Question
Preaching a Grand Story
How is it possible that Christians today can listen to hundreds of sermons, attend thousands of Bible studies, stay busy in the activities of the local church, and still see the world with essentially the same eyes as their non-Christian neighbours? I am convinced that at the root of this problem is the neglect of the “Big Story” of the Bible. We have emphasized values, principles, morals and steps for successful living, but we have often failed to lay the foundation for a truly biblical worldview. We have told lots of Bible stories, but we have neglected the Story of the Bible.
In previous posts, I have sought to make a case for “Big Story” preaching. If we are to make disciples who are faithful to the gospel in today’s world, we should lay the foundations of identity, worldview, mission and community by weaving the biblical metanarrative into everything we do. For us preachers, this begins with deliberately including in our sermon process a moment to expand the “story around the text” to include the entire Canon.
We need to build a habit of theological reflection on the meaning of the text that begins with the Story Question: “How does this text fit into God’s grand story?” I want to suggest processing this question in three ways: chronologically, theologically, and experientially.
How does the text fit into God’s story chronologically?
The first and perhaps easiest task of the “story question” is to identify just where in the sequence of major events in God’s story our text takes place. Every text in the Bible is a vantage point from which to look back as well as to look forward. We look back to see how the meaning of our text is informed by what has come before. We look forward to see how our text influences and anticipates the story that is yet to come. Locating each text chronologically helps us to think through how best to read it.
I suggest thinking in terms of where a text fits in the major movements or chapters within God’s story. Several broad outlines have been suggested in recent years, but here is one that I find helpful for the purpose of this reflection:
Creation – In terms of the amount of biblical material included, this is the smallest section. However, its importance for the rest of the story is immense. In the first two chapters of Genesis, we meet the God who creates the world in an orderly and purposeful way. We also discover his intention for human beings to serve as his vice-regents, exercising dominion over his creation and living in relationship with him and with one another.
Fall – This movement, only slightly longer than the first, is the inciting incident of the story. Genesis 3-11 describes the nature and the impact of humanity’s rebellion against God. The sin of Adam and Eve not only results in their expulsion from the garden; it also affects their relationships with one another and with creation itself. Family strife, societal corruption, and cultural idolatry wreak havoc as the consequences of sin are explored from the tree of knowledge to the tower of Babel.
Promise – Genesis 12 launches the third and longest act in the story as God initiates his program of redemption. I like to call it “promise” because it is the long story of God’s ongoing fulfillment of the promises he makes to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3. Since this movement continues all the way through the rest of the Old Testament, it might be helpful to think of it in terms of several smaller sections: the foundation of the patriarchs, the deliverance of the Exodus, the blessing of the law, the inheritance of the land, the rise and reign of the monarchy, the judgment of exile, the mercy of return. Each of these seasons in the life of Israel has its own characteristics and themes.
Redemption – The life, death and resurrection of Jesus as presented in the Gospels provide the climax of the grand story. Here God reveals himself and his redemptive plan most clearly and powerfully. All that has come before comes into focus as the nature of God’s purpose for a restored humanity bursts into sight through the agony of a cross and the shocking triumph of an empty tomb. These events represent a narrative reversal of cosmic proportions, and life can never be the same.
Church – The book of Acts and the Epistles develop the implications of the story’s climax within the life of the early church. A new community gathers around the reality of the risen and exalted Lord. Empowered and propelled by the Holy Spirit, a new people of God carries the message of salvation to the nations in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. We as contemporary readers find our greatest affinity with this movement of God’s story, as it is the movement of which we are still a part today.
New Creation – Finally, the New Testament ends with a picture of the movement of God’s story as his redeemed and resurrected people enter into their eternal inheritance. The old earth, broken and marred by sin, gives way to a new creation in which God dwells finally and fully among his children. Here the tension introduced by the fall is permanently resolved and the remnant of a broken humanity, made righteous by the sacrifice and the victory of Christ, is completely restored.
Identifying where a preaching text fits within this plotline is not difficult, but we should go beyond merely locating it within its proper movement. Take the time to reflect and even to write a brief paragraph on the particular part this text plays within its part of the story.
How does the text fit into God’s story theologically?
The grand plot of the Scriptures is, among other things, the story of God’s progressive revelation of himself. The second part of our “Story Question,” then is to ask what this text tells us about God. What does it reveal about his nature, his character, his purposes or his ways? What new discovery might the original readers or participants in the story have made within this text about who their God is, what he is like, or what he requires? From our vantage point, what does the text teach us about him?
This step is important for preachers because it helps us to anchor our message in God himself before we begin to draw lines between the text and our own needs, desires, and experiences. God is the ultimate subject of the Scriptures. Let’s make sure we make him the ultimate subject of our sermons.
How does the text fit into God’s story experientially?
This part of the story question begins to cut an initial trail towards the contemporary meaning of the text. The purpose here is not interpret the text through our experience, but to interpret our experience through the text. How does the truth of this passage resonate with life as we have known it? What solution does it give to our brokenness, our struggles or our longings? How does the vision of God and his work in human history resonate with our experience of God in our time?
Asking this question reminds us that we too are living in God’s story. As each movement within God’s story prepares and informs the next, each part as well as the story as a whole defines and speaks into our experience. As you reflect on the text, allow this step to begin to point you towards areas where the text will impact your hearers. Write down your thoughts. You will be glad you did once you begin to shape the sermon!
