.: reasons to hear :.

The reason we come together is to hear the Story told again and again. We must be reminded of our past. We must recall all that has led up to this day in which we live. We sit and, as children, we listen to the tales of history. By means of the preacher, we are invited to remember our past, present, and glorious future. She or he brings to mind the variety of reasons why we are who we are, and all that binds us together as the family of God. Their words call us once again into action, nurturing lives that demonstrate the Gospel that we first received ourselves. The Story is brought once more before us so that it might continue to take deeper hold of our lives. We are made reminiscent of the kind of love that we ought to have towards one another, as well as the grace that makes that even possible. A space is created in which we can see, if for only moments at a time, how our own stories intertwine with our sisters and brothers in Christ. The eyes of our hearts are opened all over again to the purpose of our lives. We hear one more time the invitation to take part in the Kingdom of God as it becomes a greater reality upon this earth. We hear one more time of the freedom that is now ours because of the work of Christ, accomplished on our behalf. Our joining together in that building or gymnasium or chapel marks over and over again how those who were once His enemies have now become His beloved bride because of His resurrection. In the same way, we too are reminded of our own rebirth. In that place of confession and praise, we come together in such a way that we draw fellow souls back into fellowship with the Father, as well as with each other. We do it so that we are given reasons to not lose hope, to not grow disappointed, nor to wander away from the new life that we have received. Yes, there are days when it sounds far too familiar. Yet there are also days in which we hear such news as if for the first time, with new ears that work to awaken dying hearts. Through hearing the numerous stories that make up the grand Story, we see how the streams of our lives run in like fashion to those that once walked with our Savior. We receive comfort in the face of acknowledging our own failures as we see the similar failures of so many of those whom we call heroes. We receive direction in the midst of frequent voices that bid us to play it safe, to satisfy our own needs, and to fight for our own rights. And we receive a clearer vision for the Father's Kingdom in contrast to our own kingdoms that are quickly fading. There is new life that comes to us in the spaces where the Story is told to us. It is breathed into us through every inward recollection of the roles that have already played out, ones that encourage us to live out our own that much more fervently. The preacher faithfully jogs our memory (for that is his or her role) and we are reminded that our lives are not our own, that they have been bought at such a great price. There is power in the words that we receive. There is the call to great expectations that will in fact not be disappointed in the future. The years of our lives make sense once again. And once again we enter back into the mission field, each of us carrying the Story in our own words to those among whom we work, play, and live. That which we have received stands ready to be offered to those whom the Father has been preparing to share in the Story themselves.