Print This PostThe message as myth
Myth: 1 a: a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon b: parable, allegory
A tale, a story, myth. The way we view the world we live in, work in, love in, and one day depart from. The reason I placed the definition of myth above is because too many people think that myth equates to “imaginary or unverifiable.” That is the #3 definition as far as Merriam-Webster Online is concerned.
Frodo: “I can’t do this, Sam.”
Sam: “I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. ‘Cause sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How can the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it’s only a passing thing. A shadow even darkness must pass. A new day will come and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were to small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances in turning back only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding onto to something.”
Frodo: “What are we holding onto, Sam?”
Sam: “That there’s some good left in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
”Our actions and attitudes today are shaped by what we expect from the future.” That was a phrase I wrote down in a chapel service when I was a guest of the Federal government at Allenwood LSCI. To be honest, I don’t know if that is my take on what Chaplain Hoops said or a direct quote from him. Either way, a lot of my practical theology came from this period of my life.
Just like Paul, I had a choice. I could either live in the past and never live today, or I could live today in the light of the future. Paul knew that no matter what the Romans threw at him, his life had a purpose. In everything that happened to Paul, his purpose never changed, his faith never wavered, his mission stayed the same. When life sucks-let’s be honest-what do I hold on to? Is it a purpose, a vision, a mission statement. Paul had it right. He held on to Christ, who held on to Paul. His goal was a person. The same person he met on the road to Damascus. The same person who taught him for the three years in Arabia. The same person who picked him up after being stoned and left for dead. His number one goal for his life on this earth was to know Christ and make Him known. That journey involved battle, adventure, and beauty. The battle was for the truth embodied in Christ and all that meant. The adventure meant learning to be content in whatever the circumstance. And the beauty was in the relationship with Christ that marked him for eternity.
What does all this have to do with the message as myth? Simply this. The message from God is not a book of propositions, principles and precepts, even though all of those are included. It is primarily a book of stories about God and people and how He related to them, and vice versa. God could have chosen any number of, to Him, infinite choices to reveal Himself to us. He primarily did it through story. Stories of men and women like you and me. Yet woven through this grand book of myths is an overarching theme of a Hero who fights the dragon and attacks the stronghold of evil with a daring plan to rescue the beauty. In the attempt to rescue His beauty He loses His life. The Story doesn’t end there. The Hero rises miraculously from the grave to continue the fight. Only now the Story takes a bizarre twist. The Hero returns to the safety of His home and assigns the rest of the story on earth to those who believe He is the Hero He claimed to be. Those who believe are now indued with a supernatural souce of strength that empowers them as a Body to do more than our Hero could do by Himself. Amongst those who believe in the Hero are special ones who are entrusted with relaying instructions to the rest of us. These instructions include a battle plan, a treasure map, and a special section dealing with the end in sight. Belief is crucial. So is imagination. To believe in a God we can’t see is not easy when what we do see and feel is pain and hurt and disappointment. That’s why we need myth. To see what is really going on, why it matters, and what God has in store for us.
Frodo: “What are we holding onto, Sam?”
Sam: “That there’s some good left in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
Don’t forget.
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July 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 am
Harv,
This blog is great. I read your posts, and need to say, if you ever believed the lie that you are not a writer, stop now. Your writing speaks your unique voice, and brother, you have so much to say and convey. I am excited about the book and the blog!
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for sharing Harvey, there is still some good left