A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: TELLING – AND RETELLING – THE STORIES
Grace and peace to you,
Have you ever thought of sharing stories as a way of learning? I confess, when I first started thinking about this sermon series about the tools we need to deepen our experience and understanding of being disciples (students/followers) and apostles (messengers of the faith), I wasn’t thinking of stories as the way of learning.
But then I reached out to Janet Stahl, a member 
who has been using stories and learning from stories as foundational to her work, who reminded me that “our identities are therefore stored and expressed through the family, clan, national stories.” That is foundational too for our identity as children of God and followers of Jesus. Stories shared and learned teach us so much about who God, Jesus and Holy Spirit are to us and who we are to them.
The early Christian church grew through enacting the stories told. Not much was written down until years after Jesus’ death. Yes this early community had Hebrew Scriptures, but the stories of Jesus were passed down and around. The stories of his ministry, of the disciples’ participation, of his death and resurrection were told and retold until they became lived experience.
Diana Butler Bass quotes Justin Martyr in her book, A People’s History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story: “We who formerly … valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock, and communicate to everyone in need; we who hated and destroyed one another, and on account of their different manners would not live with [people] of a different tribe, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them, and pray for our enemies.
“To Justin, the old ways had passed; a new way opened in Jesus. Far from being divisive, Christianity was an inclusive faith that might bring diverse peoples together. However one interpreted the effects of the new faith, both enemies and defenders of Christianity understood that the new religiontransformed people, giving even women, peasants, and slaves a meaningful ability to reorder their lives.[1]”
I suspect that as these folks from different walks of life, gender, social status, etc. found commonality through sharing the story of Jesus, but also sharing their stories. They learned about each other through their own stories as well. And all of this started in this new community called The Way – followers of Jesus exploring a new identity through enacting the stories told.
What does that mean for us as we strive to move beyond our physical structure and build relationships? What stories do we want to share about ourselves, the Bible, our congregation? What stories do we need to hear from those who have been harmed by other churches? Or those who are being scapegoated in our country today: immigrants, people of color, women, our siblings in the LGBTQIA+ community? Can we hear those stories without judgment?
Lots of questions to explore this Sunday. Come and see!
Blessings,
Pastor Karen
[1] https://cac.org/daily-meditations/christianity-a-love-song/, accessed 6.18.26