The stories of many Olympic participants are rooted in failure. However, these individuals did not allow this failure to turn them in victims. Rather, these stories became a reference point. Turning failure into a launching pad for greatness is not everyone’s story, though such stories encourage us to endure. It reminds us that what has happened to us does not have to define us.
The Bible tells us that while we were still the enemies of God, God reached out to us through Christ. Through Christ we become part of the story of God’s reconciling act. Christ coming to dwell in us becomes our defining moment. We who were once dead come alive in Christ. Now we are part of the ministry of reconciliation, a ministry that God has given all who have been reconciled to God through Christ. We who were once lost in our failure have found more than momentary glory, we have found eternal life. We who were once the victims of sin’s destruction have become the new creation of God. Now our reference point is real life in the real world which is found only in God’s graceful gift to us all. God looked beyond our fault and saw our need, a need that is met abundantly in Christ.
Christian worship is the retelling of the story of what seemed to be the tragedy of defeat and how it was turned into the joy of victory. It is the story of the Christ who lived victoriously, died gracefully, and was raised miraculously. This can be our story, too. It is the story of no matter what. No matter what has happened to us, in Christ we can find a new beginning. We are no longer victims of sin and death, unless we refuse the hope and life offered to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Gary,
I agree with your statement about worship as "retelling the story."
You said: Christian worship is the retelling of the story of what seemed to be the tragedy of defeat and how it was turned into the joy of victory. It is the story of the Christ who lived victoriously, died gracefully, and was raised miraculously. This can be our story, too. It is the story of no matter what. No matter what has happened to us, in Christ we can find a new beginning.
Thus, how can worship not be a true celebration of redemption every time we gather in Jesus name?
When we share communion together, we celebrate victory. "Oh, Victory in Jesus!"
Of all the people in the world, it would seem to me that we holiness folk ought to live in celebration. For we proclaim a victorious living made possible by the cleansing, sanctifying, and enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
Next Sunday, when I go to worship, I am going to think about how we are "retelling the story" as we gather in His name!
Thanks for that insight.
Jim Russom
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