Stories that Matter

What is your favorite story? And who told it to you?

When I began my studies at Luther Seminary, I was surprised to discover the first preaching course was actually called, “Telling the Story.” As a little girl, my daddy told us Uncle Remus stories which were tales about the shenanigans of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox. That was my introduction to storytelling, a traditional art with a rich history that happens to be woven into western North Carolina's own traditions.

At seminary, the focus is on God’s story, which we hear and read in the Bible. If you grew up in church, you may have learned many of the most well-known Bible stories as a child, and you know the major characters. But many people, including me, didn’t learn them in childhood, so I wondered how people can learn who the characters are, what their stories say and why their stories are important to us, two-thousand years later. Why does what we believe matter? With all the stories we hear through advertising, popular culture, television and the internet, how does Christianity help us make sense of the world around us?

I think we can begin to answer those questions by discovering that God’s story is not only an ancient text that we read, but a story that continues to be shaped by God’s activity in our world and lives today.  And hopefully, as we explore how we can connect with God, with each other and with the world around us through God’s story, we also can learn to tell our own stories of where God touches our lives in ways other people can hear them.

I have created an internship project, “Stories that Matter” that is rooted in these two ideas: that people want to learn God’s story in ways that make sense, and want to find language to talk about how God shows up in our lives.  Working with tellers who are members of the Asheville Storytelling Circle and other storytellers, I hope to introduce storytelling into people's lives in ways that help them learn God's story and identify their own stories, too.

From the Preacher's Corner, here are my most recent sermons at St. Mark's which both include story elements:

October 28, 2012
Reformation Day (Year B)
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36

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November 11, 2012
24th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B)
1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 146   
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44


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