Sharing Our Story
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7, NRSV
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
I am a fan of musical theater and feel fortunate to have seen the recent hit musical, Hamilton, on stage a little over a year ago. Recently, I watched it again on Disney+. One theme in the show that resonated with me is thinking about who tells our story. It made me think about how Christians are called as disciples to tell the story of Jesus. In one song, a group of the principal characters sings about the revolution, about when their children will tell their story with these words:
“I may not live to see our glory
But I will gladly join the fight
And when our children tell our story
They'll tell the story of tonight.”[i]
Another song near the end of the show is sung by those remembering Alexander Hamilton after his death and asks the questions, “Who lives, Who dies, Who tells your story?”[ii]
Moses told the Israelites to keep the words he commanded them in their hearts, recite them to their children and talk about them–to tell their story. Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them and to teach them. We know who we are because of our stories. Families teach their children about what they believe and what is important through their stories. We know who we are as Christians because we have heard the stories of the prophets, disciples and Jesus Christ. And God calls us, as Christians, to continue to tell the story, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. How can you share this story today?
[i] Lyrics from Hamilton, An American Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
[ii] Ibid.
