Last week I told you a story about a rather painful moment from elementary school.  I had intended it to illustrate the power of storytelling, but as is so often the case with me, it took a little turn.  In the end, the only power it really illustrated was the power of feedback.

Allow me to try again…

Roughly way too many years ago, I played the role of Jesus in a local production of Godspell.

I know—you don’t have to say it.

Anyway, at the end of each performance, the cast would come out front to meet with any audience members who wanted to congratulate, console, or cry out, “Heretic!”  One evening, a woman came up to me.  She was leading a little girl—oh, maybe four or five years old—who was sobbing uncontrollably.  The mother explained to me that her daughter had gotten totally caught up in the show, and when she saw Jesus crucified, she lost it.  She had started weeping so heavily that Mom had to take her out of the theater, and she missed the resurrection scene.

Wow.  She was so consumed with his death that she missed the resurrection.  That’s something to chew on.  But not today—today I will stay focused.

So this mother brought her drippy, mucousy kid to me to show her that Jesus was not dead.  I don’t think I have ever been hugged so tightly in my life.

I got another big hug from a little girl two Thursdays ago.  I told you that I got to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge at LifeHouse, our awesome local theater.  Well, after the show, here comes another mom with another little girl.  This time, however, the little girl was beaming.  As she threw herself into my arms, her mom explained that the girl had totally bought into the show.  She had been frightened when Scrooge was mean, had cried when he was broken and alone, and had rejoiced when he was transformed by the love of God.

So.

The power of story.

Each of these little girls was familiar with the story she had come to see, but seeing it acted out live brought a sense of depth, of passion, that made it more real, somehow.

You know what it’s like.

God knows what it’s like.  Why else would Jesus have spent so much time communicating his message through stories?

Every great story is an echo of the Great Story.  God wrote his themes of love, betrayal, loss, sacrifice, and redemption on our hearts, and the stories that pull on us echo these ideas.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mystery, an adventure, or a love story—it can be zombie science fiction, for that matter—the themes are constant.  The themes are eternal.

Jesus said that we are to come to him as children.  Part of that is being willing to dive into his story, and to let it carry us away, just like my two little huggers did.  When was the last time you let the power of God’s story sweep you away like a little child?

Children also love to tell stories.  How about you?  When was the last time you told your story, allowing God to use the themes of your life to echo the themes of Eternity?  When was the last time you let the Great Story of your life sweep someone away like a child?

Maybe it’s time for the next time.