Telling the Story

(Proverbs 1-8; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; September 7, 2008)One of the main things that we wanted to talk about this morning is telling thestory of our faith. And our desire on the Children and Faith Formation Team is that asfamilies and as a church family we would begin talking more within and acrossgenerational lines about our faith. This sort of communication is the one thing that isassumed in our readings this morning, namely that parents are talking to their childrenabout what their life means in relationship with God. The other night Chantal and I weresitting at the dinner table and we began talking about whether we felt that we werefollowing God they way we should be. It was a helpful and enjoyable time reflecting onwhere we are and where we may be headed . . . God willing. As I was beginning to prepare for this sermon I wondered what that conversation would have looked like if wehad a twelve and fifteen year old son and daughter there with us. Would thatconversation have even happened at all?When it comes to talking about faith Moses lays out a strong call for us. He callsus to talk about faithful living when we sit at home but also when we are traveling, whenwe lie down and when we wake up. Moses is not just talking about particular times butabout an encompassing view of life. From when you get up to when you lie down.When you are sitting still and when you are on the go. God’s instructions are to be inyour heart, on your mind, and through your lips. It is this approach to communicationthat appears to be the impassioned attempt of the author of Proverbs for he says,

Get wisdom, get understanding;do not forget my words or swerve from them.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;love her, and she will watch over you.

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

Esteem her, and she will exalt you;embrace her, and she will honor you.

She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.

Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.

Avoid it, do not travel on it;turn from it and go on your way.

For they cannot rest until they do evil;they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Do not turn to the right or the left;keep your foot from evil.

The author of the first nine chapters of Proverbs identifies himself as a father teaching hisson. It is parent telling their child that there is not just one path in life. There are pathsthat lead to darkness and paths that lead to light. There are wise actions and there arefoolish actions. And how do we know about these paths and actions? Neither Moses nor the book of Proverbs is interested in conversations at the table where we give pat answersto non-relevant questions. This is not simply about trying to read a chapter from theBible after supper, though I have no doubt that we would benefit plenty from that. Thesewriters are interested in all of life as it is. These writers know about the various paths inlife because they themselves have been down them. In fact the writers of the Bibleseemed to be so committed to talking about life that in pages between Deuteronomy andProverbs we have the whole sordid history of the people of Israel and Judah. This familyof faith did not gather simply to affirm pleasant statements about ourselves and God.They wrestled daily and generationally with their sinfulness and their calling by God.Moses and the author of Proverbs knew there were two paths to travel down because their

3family had taken them. Though it may make us uncomfortable at times we are fortunateto have a faith that does not gloss over the difficult parts of life.Growing up I always thought that my family had pretty good communicationskills. We chatted at the table and discussed various topics. I knew many of the goodthings about my parents and my extended family. And indeed there are many goodqualities about my family. However, we did not talk about difficult subjects. My parentsnever talked with me about sex. They never talked with me about drugs and alcohol.They never talked with me about peer pressure and self-image. And so growing up I hadmany illusions about family life and about life in general. However, life as most of ushave come to know it is the great teacher and it rarely will allow us to keep our illusions.Over time it becomes all to clear to us that indeed our family and we ourselves are far from perfect. It is this life; this life of wisdom and folly; this life of obedience anddisobedience; this life of faithfulness and unfaithfulness; this life of life and death that isto be in some way on our lips. Our faith is nothing if it does not touch and form these places of our lives.So we carry this part of the story not to be depressing or hard on ourselves or to pity ourselves. We carry this story simply because it is true. We would not be telling anhonest story if we entirely left out the more dark and shaded paths we still follow. Nowhow we tell this story of course depends on the age, the relationship, and the context.At times it can be unhelpful and even harmful to share at the wrong time and in thewrong way. Carrying this story is ultimately necessary if we believe it is as the churchgathering in Christ that this story is redeemed.