OzThoughts Wednesday 28th January 2009

OzThoughts Wednesday 28th January 2009

People love stories. They love to tell them. Probably several times a week, I will simply say to people “Tell me your story”. Then I try to be a good listener. Strangely, if I demonstrate good listening I also demonstrate I care.

I have a Canadian friend whom I met on the internet and she has been reading OzThoughts since the beginning. She has said to me over the years “I love reading the stories in OzThoughts about what you have done or are doing the best.” (I won’t tell you her name but because it is her birthday today I will say “Happy birthday, Janis”.)

The Christian Mission/ Salvation Army from its earliest days feature people to tell the story of their “getting saved”. They told how difficult and wretched their life was before The Army brought Jesus to them. How they surrendered their life to Jesus and what it has been like since. People gathered to listened to these stories and saw people they knew whose lives had been transformed. They heard the story and they saw the transformation that had taken place. Many said “I need some of that”.

See what Jesus tells about reaching and teaching people by stories:
Mark 4:1-20 (The Message)
1-2 He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.
3-8"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
9"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
10-12When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don't understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."
13He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
14-15"The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
16-17"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
18-19"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.
20"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."
[Listen: http://www.salvoaudio.com/miscellaneous_music/ballarat2.htm ]

Pleasures sought, dearly bought,
Leading only further from the light;
Blinded eyes, weary sighs,
Thus grief-laden did I wander in sin's night.

Chorus
Jesus came with peace to me,
His strong arm was stretched to me,
Then my burden took from me--
My Saviour.

Wasted years, doubts and fears,
I no treasure had in Heaven above;
Idle hours, misspent powers
Stained my heart, unmoved by Jesus' wondrous love.

Hollow joys, worldly toys,
Could not meet my spirit's deep desire;
Without rest, in my breast
Rose the yearning for the Spirit's hallowed fire.

Heaven's ray falls today
On my soul, and makes my pathway bright;
Struggles cease, I have peace,
Walking with my Saviour, trusting in his might.
Author: Agnes Parker Heathcote (b 1862)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 379

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