Week 3: God's Story
This week, we learn about the story in which our stories find their place.
Spiritual Practice: Spot the Story
As we have been learning, our stories are important. But we do not live our lives — or our stories — apart from others. As the poet John Donne wrote, “No man [or woman] is an island.” As important as knowing ourselves and owning our stories are empathy (learning the stories of others) and perspective (knowing the larger story into which our stories fit).
What is sometimes known as “the four-chapter gospel” or “the Gospel of the Kingdom” is one way of framing a more holistic understanding of the good news of Jesus. It goes beyond pat answers and simplistic diagrams to write a fuller, truer narrative, in which we experience both the original goodness of creation and the mission of renewal to which all Christ-followers are called. Choosing to follow Jesus is not the end; it is the beginning.
This week’s spiritual practice is learning to spot the story, cultivating the awareness of not only how God’s story is at play all around us, but also identifying the competing and opposing narratives that drive us and those around us.
Verse of the Week: John 3:16-17
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.