I want to ask you
a very personal question. I want to ask you, “What’s your story?”
And, is this the story you want to tell?
We all have a
story to tell. We may not be professional story tellers, but we have
a story. Stories are the way we organize things and bring order to
the chaos around us. Stories are how we connect events and find
meaning. Recognition of the importance of stories has given rise to a
form of theology called “Narrative Theology.” Narrative theology
asks us to become aware of not only our story but also the stories of
others. Sometimes when we see or experience conflict it may be because
our story and the story of someone else are in conflict, or maybe we
just do not understand what their story is. I am convinced that Narrative Theology offers us a path toward nonviolent conflict
resolution. So today I want to ask you to think about your story.
There are some
preconditions or assumptions we make at the beginning. First, all
stories are true to the people who believe them. We cannot say that
if this story is “true” other stories must be “false.” All
stories are true. Second, there are usually sacred and secular
versions of the story. Actually all the stories are sacred but you
will see what I mean. Third, all stories are subject to change. As we
change, or learn more, or have different experiences, our stories
change.
In the Bible the
story of the Exodus is a primary story. One popular author, Bruce
Feiler, has written a book America’s Prophet: How the Story of
Moses Shaped America (HarperCollins, 2009). It is not only an
important biblical story, it is also our national story. I am sure you know the outline. The
Hebrew people were liberated from slavery by the outstretched arm of
God, who led them through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by
day and a pillar of fire by night, until they entered the Promised
Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. That’s the story. And,
I’ll get back to it, but first let’s look at
some other stories.
You may or may
not like Donald Trump, and you may or may not agree with me, but I
think he is telling a story that a lot of people are listening to,
and I have been asking myself, “What is the story?” I have decided
that I think the secular version of his story is The Three Little
Pigs. It is a popular story and one we all know. It is also in the
contemporary context a xenophobic story about a big bad wolf who is
lurking at the door threatening to huff and puff and blow our house
down. We need to protect ourselves. We need a house with a solid
foundation and strong walls. And we need to keep the home fires
burning. That’s the basic story. It has a ring of truth.
There is a
biblical story that is a little bit like this story. You can find it
1st and 2nd Chronicles and 1st and 2nd Kings.
Here we read about “good” kings and “bad” kings. The
judgement is not based on their foreign policy or how long they were
king. It is based on whether or not they were true to the spiritual
and moral foundation of Israel. It has a ring of truth. We understand
it, even if we don’t necessarily agree with it.
Let me offer
another story. You have heard that we are all sinners. That is a
basic narrative that can be found in the prophetic tradition of the
Bible. I was surprised to see this same story in the movie Jurassic
World. In this movie wealthy investors have built a dinosaur
theme park and hired brilliant scientists to populate it. In an
effort to get a better return on their investment, the investors
pressure the scientists to create ever bigger and more dangerous
dinosaurs. Enter the prophet who warns them that they are violating
the laws of nature. Before the movie ends, the people who do not
listen to the prophet are consumed by their own greed and hundreds of
lives are destroyed.
Imagine my
surprise when I saw the same narrative being played out in Seattle,
Washington, where a ship from Shell Oil Company was trying to leave
the harbor and go to Alaska to drill for oil in the pristine
wilderness of the Artic. Environmental prophets hung suspended from a
bridge to block the way and prevent the ship from leaving port. There
are conflicting narratives. Shell Oil wants to spin oil into gold.
The prophets are warning that we are destroying the earth, our home, and
we will be consumed by our own greed if we don’t stop.
Which brings me back to Exodus. It was a story that I loved in my
pre-teen years. I went to see Cecil B. DeMille’s epic movie, The
Ten Commandments (1956), and I was hooked. Moses became a
superstar. When I left the theater The Exodus was my new theme
song. “This land is mine. God gave this land to me.” I was
enthralled, until my Native American neighbors pointed out that my
Promised Land is their Home Land.
As I learned
more, I became aware that I did not want to sing this song any more.
I did not want to make this story of conquest my story. If I was
going to claim the biblical narrative, I needed a different place to
belong. Eventually I turned to the story of Creation in Genesis. There
I learned that God created all things and blessed all that God made.
I learned that we are each created in the image of God—to remind
each other of the presence of God. I learned that we were enlivened with
the breath of God and entrusted by God to be partners in the
stewardship of life and in caring for the earth, our Mother.
As we look to the
future, a future in which we are all minorities, I believe that this is a life-giving narrative that needs to be shared. It is a story that I
want to tell. Having shared my story, I want to ask you, “What is
your story?”
Rev. David Hansen
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