"Creating space to Rest, Wrestle, and Play with God and Others."
God's Love Story
The Bible is God’s Story written down. It was written by human authors in different genres over several hundred years in various cultural contexts. We hold that the authoring, redaction, and canonization of these writings was under the authority and inspiration of God’s Spirit. It tells a true story of the God of the universe and His relationship to humanity. It is not merely instructions for living or moral and ethical code even though we may find these embedded in the story. The Bible story is testimony to God’s most complete revelation to humanity; the person of Jesus Christ.
N.T. Wright suggests that we read the Bible as a play in six acts. This paradigm also serves well to define our beliefs. The six acts tell a story of God’s progressive self revelation.
N.T. Wright suggests that we read the Bible as a play in six acts. This paradigm also serves well to define our beliefs. The six acts tell a story of God’s progressive self revelation.
Act One
In act one we meet the Triune God as Creator. God creates all that exists from nothing and calls it good. Father, Son and Holy Spirit (three persons but one being) are all present at this creative beginning. Embedded in this story is the creation of humanity as male and female. The essentials of who we are as human beings are communicated through this story. We are created in the Image of God as His most beloved creation. We are relational because God is relational; creative because God is creative. Masculine and feminine are distinctive but equal because Father, Son, and Spirit are distinctive but equal.
Act Two
The story continues with sin and evil marring God’s creation. Humanity exercised the free will God created in them to choose life separate from God; a life focused on self. They felt the nakedness of shame and the pain of isolation from God. Humanity and all of creation has continued to live in this state for all of history.
Because of God’s love and mercy, He graciously promised a way back into relationship. God did not undo the sin or restore creation immediately; instead He asked humanity to look to Him in faith and hope for a solution. The rest of the Bible narrative is the story of this solution. We see hints of it in the stories of Cain and Able and Noah.
Act Three
The story intensifies as God chooses Abraham and his descendents, the nation of Israel, to be the conduit for His ultimate solution; a Messiah and deliverer that will make all things new and usher in God’s eternal kingdom. The history, law, wisdom, poetry, and prophecy of Israel weave a tapestry that illustrates God’s character and points toward His coming Messiah.
Act Four
This act represents the focal point of God’s story. It is story of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the final promised solution to humanity’s problem. Jesus comes as God in the flesh. He is the fully God and fully human culmination of all revelation that has gone before; history, prophecy, law, and wisdom.
We begin with the story of His miraculous birth from a virgin; a birth foretold by prophets and proclaimed by angels. The story continues with Jesus’ ministry; His miracles of healing and His teachings. It climaxes with His undeserved but prophesied death on the cross and His burial. However, the story does not end there. It continues with Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance to His astonished followers. This act closes with Jesus ascension into the heavens with a promise to return in the future.
From this part of the story we learn, among many things, that God loves us. He came in the flesh and died on the cross so that the problem of sin would be overcome and we could enjoy a redeemed relationship with Him eternally.
Act Five
This act begins where act four left off; with Jesus’ ascension and establishment of the Church. The story of faith continues as we see the empowering of the church by the Holy Spirit and its spread throughout the world of the first century. It is the ongoing story of the church as Christ’s body being His representative in the world and spreading the good news.
It is in this continuing story that we find ourselves as actors improvising the story from what has gone before. Our script consists of the stories and teachings of Jesus, the journey of the early church as it engaged its own culture, and the back story of Israel’s faltering walk with God. Our director is the Holy Spirit and faithful improvisation requires us to interact creatively with others on stage with us.
Act Six
We have some hints as to what the final act will look like; Christ has promised to return. There will be a final judgment and a resurrection. Jesus will redeem creation making everything new.
We do not how or when the curtain will fall on act five signaling this final chapter of the story. We do know that our task is to occupy this time and space as the church representing Jesus to the world; called to walk by faith, live with love, and wait in hope for Jesus’ promised return.
Act Two
The story continues with sin and evil marring God’s creation. Humanity exercised the free will God created in them to choose life separate from God; a life focused on self. They felt the nakedness of shame and the pain of isolation from God. Humanity and all of creation has continued to live in this state for all of history.
Because of God’s love and mercy, He graciously promised a way back into relationship. God did not undo the sin or restore creation immediately; instead He asked humanity to look to Him in faith and hope for a solution. The rest of the Bible narrative is the story of this solution. We see hints of it in the stories of Cain and Able and Noah.
Act Three
The story intensifies as God chooses Abraham and his descendents, the nation of Israel, to be the conduit for His ultimate solution; a Messiah and deliverer that will make all things new and usher in God’s eternal kingdom. The history, law, wisdom, poetry, and prophecy of Israel weave a tapestry that illustrates God’s character and points toward His coming Messiah.
Act Four
This act represents the focal point of God’s story. It is story of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; the final promised solution to humanity’s problem. Jesus comes as God in the flesh. He is the fully God and fully human culmination of all revelation that has gone before; history, prophecy, law, and wisdom.
We begin with the story of His miraculous birth from a virgin; a birth foretold by prophets and proclaimed by angels. The story continues with Jesus’ ministry; His miracles of healing and His teachings. It climaxes with His undeserved but prophesied death on the cross and His burial. However, the story does not end there. It continues with Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance to His astonished followers. This act closes with Jesus ascension into the heavens with a promise to return in the future.
From this part of the story we learn, among many things, that God loves us. He came in the flesh and died on the cross so that the problem of sin would be overcome and we could enjoy a redeemed relationship with Him eternally.
Act Five
This act begins where act four left off; with Jesus’ ascension and establishment of the Church. The story of faith continues as we see the empowering of the church by the Holy Spirit and its spread throughout the world of the first century. It is the ongoing story of the church as Christ’s body being His representative in the world and spreading the good news.
It is in this continuing story that we find ourselves as actors improvising the story from what has gone before. Our script consists of the stories and teachings of Jesus, the journey of the early church as it engaged its own culture, and the back story of Israel’s faltering walk with God. Our director is the Holy Spirit and faithful improvisation requires us to interact creatively with others on stage with us.
Act Six
We have some hints as to what the final act will look like; Christ has promised to return. There will be a final judgment and a resurrection. Jesus will redeem creation making everything new.
We do not how or when the curtain will fall on act five signaling this final chapter of the story. We do know that our task is to occupy this time and space as the church representing Jesus to the world; called to walk by faith, live with love, and wait in hope for Jesus’ promised return.
