FROM THE PASTOR
I Love to Tell the Stories
Have you noticed when we come to this time in the Church Year, we seem focus on telling stories – the story of Passover, of the valley of dry bones, of the Last Supper, of the Crucifixion, of the empty tomb, of the road to Emmaus, of Christ’s appearance to Thomas and the Twelve, of the breakfast Christ prepares at the lakeshore…? It seems that theological discourse and confessional propositions are inadequate for capturing the mysteries which fill this season. We push it all aside, sit back, and tell the stories of our tradition.
Whenever I think about story as holy vehicle for conveying the faith and offering pastoral support, my mind goes back to a story I treasure in the Jewish tradition. Eli Wiesel begins his book, The Gates of the Forest, with this Hasidic parable.
When the great Rabbi Israel Ball Shem-Tov saw misfortunate threatening the Jews it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortunate averted.
Later, when his disciple the celebrated Magid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: “Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer,” and again the miracle would be accomplished.
Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Lieb of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: “I do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient.” It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.
Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Riahyn to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: “I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer. I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and this must be sufficient.” And it was sufficient.”
And Wiesel concluded: God made man because he loves stories.
We love to tell the stories. God loves to hear the stories we tell.
Pastor John E. Schumacher, BCC
