Stories and Memories

In the middle of the morning a house in our town which had been around a long, long time disappeared in smoke and flames in what seemed like a minute.  It was built long before the cookie cutter architecture so prevalent on the edges of so many urban settings.  It was not a pretentious place, but one with a long front porch, high ceilings, and spacious rooms.  Even though it is gone now and not to be seen again, it will linger as long as those who knew it and the people who lived in it have memory.  And while no one had lived in it for a spell, it was a house full of stories and full of memories.    

Such is always characteristic of the special places in our lives.  As it is true of dwelling places, so is it true of our churches.  So many churches in small towns like the ones which dot the landscape have all but disappeared, not because of fire, but because of sociological and cultural changes.  And, though they may suffer from a lack of folks coming, or even be closed down completely, they will continue to live through the stories written in those places and the memories of the folks who are the characters of the story.  When we read the Word, we are made aware that both the story and the remembrances of the story are important to the future of those who are in a position of being able to look back.  

What makes the stories of  the Scripture so significant is the way they tell the story of how God has revealed Himself to folks like you and me and the way those stories continue to have life changing power.  When we show up on Sunday, or pick up our copy of the Scripture, we are remembering those stories again, giving them life, and discovering a renewed sense of spiritual energy in our lives.