Larger Story 2

"Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles." (Bible book of Second Peter, chapter 3, verses 1 and 2)

Think of the 20 story lines that are pulsing through your mind right now. Thought threads from the news of today and the dramatic realities of your real life are all able to swirl together in your heart/mind processes all at once. You may not be focussed critically on each individual one, but there is awareness of these 20 story lines and more. As I write those thoughts, though overwhelming at times, this is actually good news. We have capacity to take in a larger context than just right now. You can consider the realities of the pandemic AND at the same time be considering your heart in relationship to Jesus and those to whom you've been given. The only way we have this capacity is because there is something larger than us. Expansively larger. Scary comforting larger.

My friends Buddy and Larry wrote the narrative of our roots in the form of 7 questions that I wrote out in Larger Story 1. I find that there is value in seeking to live out those verses up there by stirring to remembrance the larger story that is ours in Jesus. One thought at a time. What is it that I remember? I remember lots of stuff frankly. Why not stir up my recall of the Story of God?

1.Who is God?

A perfectly happy community of 3 Persons whose nature is holiness and way of relating is love.

TTTHHHAAANNNKKK YYYOOOUUU GGGOOODDD!!! This is the larger story! It's THEM! I love that whole Moses dialogue thing. "Who should I say sent me? Tell them I AM sent you." Not "I was". Not "I'm going to be". I AM. Period. Always I AM. They ARE. Is this hard? Of course it's hard. One God in three persons. All the illustrations break down. Seed, orange, orange juice and water, ice, steam. They all break down and fall so far short as we try to ponder this 3 person reality. And you know, I like that. An orange and water, though both totally amazing and creative, can't even get close. I want God, the perfectly happy community of 3 Persons whose nature is holiness and way of relating is love, to be so demonstratively bigger than anything I could ever fathom and dream up. I can't describe and box Him in AND He resides IN ME, IN YOU. Take in the seeming absurdity. This is real. This is the larger story.

Take a second and hear yourself read just one word at a time in the answer up there. Perfectly, happy, community, of 3 Persons...... I could never exhaust the depth of riches in each one of these words just by themselves. So let's stay big picture. What does this mean? (Like I can really know, smiley face!) A perfectly happy community of 3 Persons whose nature is holiness and way of relating is love. It means THIS IS YOUR HERITAGE! It means THESE ARE YOUR ROOTS. Our heritage. Our roots. The way we live and relate can emanate out of the holy, loving heritage of the Trinity. Our roots WERE NOT ORIGINALLY SIN AND CHAOS. Our roots are the HOLY, HEALTHY RELATING OF THE FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT. And we know that we're included because it could have just remained the 3 of them. We were intentionally brought into the story. Stunning.

And now think about the relating of our world, our country, our church, our family, OUR OWN HEART. Different at times huh? Does it have to be? Peter wrote in his second letter, "... I have written both of them (his Spirit letters) as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past...". Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. I'm practicing with you. Though kind of irritating, I think we both know just how necessary this actually ends up being. Trinity is our heritage. Trinity is our heritage. Not over the top. Necessary. Gift.

God revealed this amazing abundance that was theirs IN HIM in the garden to Adam and Eve. The Liar slithers his tongue in untruth to them. Eve is eating the fruit and Adam, "who was with her", is saying nothing. Not relating out of their heritage, the heritage that they WERE BROUGHT IN TO. The heritage that we ARE BROUGHT IN TO. There was battle over believing we could relate in a holy way from the very beginning. Interesting that Slither Lips was there so early on the scene. And today.

1.Who is God?

A perfectly happy community of 3 Persons whose nature is holiness and way of relating is love.

THIS is our relational heritage. Thanks be to God!

So when I'm relating with Jesus...

When I'm relating with Lea

When I'm relating with Trey...

When I'm relating with Emma...

When I'm relating with the woman in the deli department...

When I'm relating with you...

When you're relating with....

There's more.