Christ Memorial was a church plant of Salem Lutheran in Affton in 1948. Our history is God “sowing seeds” and “bearing fruit.” What will he grow in the next 75 years? Martin Luther once said, “Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today.” We continue to plant seeds for coming generations of gospel multiplication. More people loved in Christ, more people sent into the world.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4) O Lord, I suffer grief and loss. You alone are my comfort. Amen.
Word: Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Meditation
God’s Story, Not Mine by Jo Saleska Lange
In an essay for The New Yorker called “The Scourge of Relatability,” Rebecca Mead writes about our tendency to use the term “relatable” as a criterion of value in art and literature. For example, we might say that we enjoyed a certain movie because we found it “relatable,” or that we disliked a certain novel because the characters were “not relatable” enough. In the essay, Mead argues that judging the merit of a book, film, or play based on its relatability is a selfish and unimaginative way to engage with art. She writes,
. . . the notion of relatability implies that the work in question serves like a selfie: a flattering confirmation of an individual’s solipsism. . . . To appreciate ‘King Lear’—or even “The Catcher in the Rye” or “The Fault in Our Stars”—only to the extent that the work functions as one’s mirror would make for a hopelessly reductive experience.
When we demand that art reflect our lived experiences, we risk overlooking the purpose of art: to teach, to evoke empathy, to spark imagination.
As I reflect on the scripture reading for this week, I keep thinking about how Mead’s argument might apply to the way we read the Bible.
I often approach scripture by drawing parallels between my life circumstances and those of the Bible’s characters: When have I, like people throughout scripture, experienced grief, humiliation, exile, illness, fear, loneliness? When have I, like Jonah, failed to follow God’s commands? When have I, like David, been covetous and lustful? When have I, like Peter, doubted and denied Christ?
Relating to biblical characters helps reveal my sinfulness and reminds me of God’s hand in my life. But I wonder if doing so can, at times, be somewhat solipsistic and reductive. After all, the Bible is not a book about any individual character or group of characters. And the Bible is certainly not a book about me.
The Bible is a story about God and his love for humanity. By using scripture as a mirror with which to view my life, I risk centering myself instead of God.
Hebrews 11:1–16 names Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah as examples of faith, but I doubt the author of Hebrews intended to exalt these individuals or encourage us to idolize their stories. Rather, these examples provide evidence that our God is a God who keeps promises, generation after generation. As my ESV study bible puts it, “biblical faith is not a vague hope grounded in imaginary, wishful thinking. Instead, faith is a settled confidence that something in the future—something that is not yet seen but has been promised by God—will actually come to pass because God will bring it about.”
Thus, living a life of faith does not mean I need to accomplish something grand in the name of Christ. And it’s not about venerating or relating to other humans named in scripture. Living a life of faith is simply trusting God as the only protagonist and creator of my story. It is resting in the assurance and conviction that God keeps his promises—just as he always has.
Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing yourself through scripture and through the person of Jesus. Help me to approach your Word with humility and to read it as a testimony of your infinite wisdom, power, and trustworthiness above all else. Amen.
Prayer for Life as a Child of God
· For the Father to give me care and guidance.
· For forgiveness when I wander and want my own way.
· For the Father to keep me childlike in faith even as I age.
· For growth in faith, that I love and trust in God above all things.
· For strength to obey God.
· For the Father to heal my hurts.
· For assurance when I doubt.
Closing Prayer
O Lord, your ways are not our ways. Teach us your will, even when it appears backwards. We want to know you. We want what you want. Thy will be done, in Jesus’ name. Amen.