an - ec - dote: noun - a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical.
It occurred to me this week that we Westerners like to turn anecdotes into something they weren't meant to be. An anecdote is simply an account of something that happened. It's an incident. An episode. An occurrence.
We love to microwave them for 30 seconds and turn them into principles. This is probably the most offensive use of the anecdotes that make up 90% of the scriptures.
Let's appreciate that the power of an anecdote is in the telling, not in what principles and conclusions can be derived from it.
We mythics focus on the delivery over the derivatives. Truth is best left unarticulated, hidden between the lines of the stories we tell.
So now we have a choice. We can say, "God is all-powerful," or we can say, "The sun stood still."
The first statement is uttered after much deliberation, reckoning, information gathering, experimentation, comparing, and the inevitable conclusion. Ah, now we feel better, because now his strength is measurable. The scientific method brought to bear on our faith and reason.
The second leaves the mystery intact. And a mythic is happy wondering, "Hmmm, the sun stood still. How did He do that? What happened to the tides that day? Did the moon stop moving as well?" The effect of these kinds of mythic musings runs deep. In the end, the mythic simply sighs and says, "Father God, you amaze me. I love you."
These mythic musings change us in a way that knowledge never will.
I raise my glass to the humble anecdote.
rock, dude.
ReplyDeleteWhat you wrote is so simple, yet so profound. I think the problem for me has been(hopefully past tense) that I want to figure it all it, understand it all, get it all right. I think God delights in those who are willing to just accept the mythical truths about Him without having Him all figured out (as if we could!) By talking to many Christians these days, you would think He is very easily figured out. They produce a list of principles and conclusions and expect any true believer to follow them. It sounds a lot like the people that Jesus upset when He was here. I think they were doing the same thing that you suggest we Westerners do. They took Jesus' stories and wanted to make principles out of them. They wanted answers for their questions. And most often He refused to answer.
ReplyDeleteokay. I just watched a tv commercial that reminds me of something that's been stirring within me for a long time, pertaining to the "all-powerful" line of thought.
ReplyDeleteI have a MAJOR fingernail-across-the-chalkboard eek every time I hear or see a church website, commercial or sentence along the lines of "life-changing".
"Jesus can change your life", "come to this life-changing conference".
Same thing goes for "inspiring". "Come experience our inspiring worship", etc....
If you have to tell me (or sell me on the idea) that something or some event is going to be (insert positive outcome adjective here), you've blown it with me.
My thought is, why can't you let the Holy Spirit just be and do what He is and does? That's part of the fake charisma going on all around.
If I go somewhere, and the Spirit stirs me, then the Spirit stirs me.
Anyone thinking they need to preview me with what MIGHT maybe happen is doing several things: overselling is one of them, and playing God/Holy Spirit is another. They don't know what the Holy Spirit is going to do at any time, anywhere. He's unpredictable.
I cannot help right now but see God sitting there shaking His head with HIs palm to the forehead about what all these oversellers and clueless well-meaners are doing.
Ties exactly into one of this blog's central themes: explanation kills.
This is what it's all about, isn't it? Life is so refreshing this way. Wow. Just wondering and imagining.
ReplyDeleteluv u
This is something I struggle with. I was taught to preach and teach by revealing the princples and so I have been trained to dissect Scripture that way. But more and more as I write and prepare sermons and lessons I feel like I am doing the story a disservice by dissecting it this way. Perhaps we how preach and teach need to trust the Holy Spirit a little more to communicate truth rather than trying to be faithful to some formula for how a sermon is supposed to be constructed.
ReplyDeleteSome of your comments are sticking with me.
ReplyDeleteJill, I agree with you in that Jesus didn't just avoid giving answers--He refused. We would do well to meditate on that. He must have been pretty frustrating to talk with.
For some, anyway.
I'm with you, John330, in being completely turned off by the intro, "[Doing this] will [do this] for you." Are you kidding me? You're gonna tell us exactly how to interpret this event in the scripture? You're actually gonna tell us how to respond? Holy mackerel. (But our marketers, politicians, news commentators, and psychologists are equally guilty.)
Lee, I love you like crazy. I wonder what the next 19 years will bring?
Finally, Paul, I sympathize with you. I'd offer the paid ministers and teachers among us three ideas:
1. Favor "narrative" over "explanation". Tell us the stories, brothuhs and sistuhs. Die trying to keep our generation from going to our graves with this epithet: "After [Joshua's] generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel." (Judges 2) Tell us about Paul writing letters by candlelight, about David writing poetry after a war or a personal failure, about Caleb waiting 45 years to do what he was made to do. Tell us what happened, NOT what to do in case it happens again.
Picture your congregations sitting with you around a campfire, the flames flickering, the sparks climbing into the night sky. Then open your mouth. As a side benefit, this requires a heck of a lot less preparation.
How many of today's congregations know the story of Nehemiah, Ezra, Zechariah and Haggai?
Tell us the stories, like we're in second grade. I promise, we will listen.
2. Having told us the stories, then invite us into the story. Let us take on a part. In fact, let the story tell us about our own lives.
Truth flows into a heart when you simply ask questions, like: "Where do you see yourself in this story? Who do you associate with? For me, I feel a lot like [Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.], and here's why--because God leads me just like that He did that guy..."
Dude, my heart cries out for a weekly talk like that. I'm tired of being told how to be happier or more loving or more generous.
I wanna know the name of the game they're playing in the field in front of me, and I wanna play, too.
3. Many ministers are pure prophets, meaning they have something to say to a particular group of people at a particular time. Tell it, whatever it is. Week after week, year after year.
Bring it.
The look on your face will be the glory of God on earth.