I recently watched a movie where I finished it asking myself, “What in the world was that all about?” I couldn’t figure out the plotline, point, or moral to the story. It felt like a complete waste of 2 hours, but I just knew there had to be some storyline that I was missing. If there wasn’t, the movie itself would be useless, meaningless, and consequently a failure. So, I rewatched the ending, watched the ‘extras’, and talked to a guy at work who has a degree in film studies. The sum total of this research brought me the realization of the absolutely artistic, yet subtle method the film makers used to tell a pretty terrific story.
So, I start this week asking, “Why does story exist?” Or I might ask the question this way, “How does story exist?” The answer is fairly simple. Story exists because life itself is story. That is, the reason, there are good novels, movies, and story-tellers is that they all flow from one major driving force behind them all: a universe guided and governed itself by one grand narrative… a Divine Drama. The story of life and the universe is what makes all other stories even possible. That is, all narratives that may be constituted as significant and meaningful are such because of a Grand Narrative standing behind them.
There are many reasons this is important of which we will continue to mull over in coming weeks. But one that we may start off musing upon now is the reality that the very idea and possibilty of story presupposes that there is some overarching story behind life. This speaks directly to a culture that desires many times to invalidate any “universal” narrative/story [aka 'truth claim'] for life by appealing to subjectivity. However, without such, no other mini-story can ever be meaningful, useful, practical, enjoyable or worth the time of day to consider.
So “why/how” does story exist? Because God does.
We’ll come back to the topic of Story in upcoming weeks, but Sunday’s sermon by Pastor Adam was such a good reminder, that I felt is profitable to reflect a bit more on some of his words to us. 
This week’s post is more of a survey and a request for discussion than any type of editorial or thought. I would like to spend a few coming weeks discussing the importance of the concept of “story” as it comes to understanding life and the Scriptures.
What do you get when you add together a late bus with an overturned produce truck? Perfect timing. This past week, the Pgh Momtourage ladies were meeting for their bi-weekly playdate but were hindered by a late bus and then an overturned produce truck that held up traffic. The combined effect of this was a late arrival for the playdate. However, as the ladies came over the hill into the park, there stood a photographer shooting photos for the Post-Gazette and they got a short interview. Then, the next day, up shows a massive picture of the ladies in the park with a short blurb about the group on the front page of the Local News section. What had begun as several frustrating events that seemed to be impeding the ladies’ well-made plans resulted in more free publicity than that for which they could have ever asked.
Understanding the hand of God in life, as seen here in Genesis is crucial as we reach the NT and find that the most paradoxical event of all time looses all significance if God is merely a “responder” to bad things. If God is merely in the business of cleaning up messes, then the gospel looses its power. The death and resurrection of our Lord is not “plan B” in God’s kingdom, as a result of the Fall of man. Rather, “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake” (1 Peter). But here may be the most paradoxical piece of all- it was through God-ordained death that we have been given God-ordained life. The gospel has power and significance not only because of the perfect, God-man suffering on our behalf but also because of our Sovereign, Father God being the one behind it all. Thus, all “grief” that becomes great “good” for us is itself a benefit flowing to us from the cross- the greatest story of great grief becoming our eternally great good. ["This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Acts 2:23]










