Evangel as Story

Barbara Myerhoff, in her book Number Our Days defines the subjects of her ethnography at a Jewish Senior Center, in Venice Beach, California, as “homo narrans,” people of story.

We are Homo Narrans - People of Story. Many stories begin with time, place, and character to set the plot. The same is true here.

Our Story:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning God created humans right out of that earth and breathed in Life. Then God gave humans the choice to follow a couple of rules or die.

They died.

That goes back a long way. But then God rewrites the story and the plot changes. There is a new beginning.

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Stop here. You must right now, straight up, and flat out, watch the oratory by David Souchet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjOgcMQXvSc&t=524s

You may now proceed.

Jesus goes from village to village and heals the sick, in fact, the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Luke 11:5 [NIV]

Jesus brings the good news of the Kingdom because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

But this is where the story gets really good: Jesus comes in, not only to bring the good news of the Kingdom, but as the Good News himself. Being the perfect Son of God, he gave his life to redeem humans from sin and their death. Then he beat it all when he rose from the dead to prove it.

The old Proverb is true:

“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news is from a far country.” Proverbs 25:25 [KJV]

He’s coming back, but he told us not to look for signs because life ain’t a highway to heaven. The Father decided when to send him the first time and will decide when to send him the second as well.

Until then, we’ve got more important stuff to do.

We tell the Good News. We live in the Good News. We live out the Good News

Now, brothers and sisters, we gotta remember that while he was living on earth, Jesus had a brother named James. They probably didn’t have bunkbeds like my brother and I, but James must have known Jesus only as brothers do. That’s why it’s important to remember exactly what James wrote - “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17 [KJV]

James is very clear, knowing from childhood how Jesus brought the Good News and was the Good News, to people who lived desperate lives at the margins, outside of wealth or power.

So, the story isn’t only told with words. It’s what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and how he lived. That is the whole of the Evangel. He brings the Kingdom and the Good News is that we are citizens in it and as citizens we are to give God that which is God’s.

The Evangel is action but actions exercising power outside the Good News - The Ism is to the Evangel as Baal was to Israel.

The Good News. The Ism. My scope on that will unfold on

The drgoodbooks Show.

The Evangel is Good News. The Evangel is Story. We are to be people of that story and no other.

Reading the Story

Knowing the Story

Telling the Story

Sharing the Story

Living the Story

Acting upon the Story

All of it; the whole Story

The fundamental reason, the historic presence, the motivation of today and for tomorrow, is Living the Story as Homo Narrans. That is who we are to be. That is what we are to do.

Barbara Myerhoff is quoted, “The best lives and stories are made up of minute particulars that somehow are also universal and of use to others as well as oneself.” (A-Z quotes)

Madeleine L’Engle writes in The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth, “Truth is frightening. Truth is demanding. For truth we can read Jesus. Jesus is truth. If we accept that Jesus is truth, we accept an enormous demand: Jesus is wholly God.”

This is the Rock that is Higher, and it is told in story.

Evangel as story.

Own it.

Evangelicalism.

As Baal was to Israel.

Own it.

What’s

your story?

Own it.

For the real deal take a look at:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/1970/03/what-is-evangel/

The Full Text of the Nicene Creed - Bibles.net