MEGAN'S MESSAGE

I enjoyed the ride home with Luke and Megan Sweeney. Although I've known them for several years, I don't think I've ever had that much time to talk with them and listen to them. That's one of the sad things about being a pastor in a relatively large church-- we spend time with people, but often don't get much of a chance to spend "quality time."



One of the things I enjoyed most about the ride was hearing from Megan what she got out of the event we were part of. Simply put, I learned that she really enjoyed hearing the stories that the speakers told each night.



It occurred to me later that she was picking up on one of the key elements of the four-night event. Every person has a story, and when they get a chance to tell their stories, you get a chance to share in their lives, and your life becomes fuller and richer as a result.



When preachers talk about "post-modernism," we are usually speaking negatively. One of the frustrating aspects of the way our contemporary world has become is that there is so little that really ties everything together. What we usually have is just "fragments," little pieces of life that may or may not be connected in any cohesive fashion. In fact, many times they actually contradict each other, making life even more confusing to us.



What Megan shared was important to me because it made me aware of the fact that there is a way of making some sense out of the disconnectedness of life we experience constantly. She listened to what people actually said, and she didn't feel compelled to tie everything together.



Maybe that is a good strategy for finding meaning in a world of randomness. Listen to what people are actually saying, and don't try to force everything into a meaningful whole. Of course that won't produce a comprehensive, cohesive "meta-story" that makes sense out of everything in creation, but that may be o.k. After all, every story is ultimately just a snippet of the larger story that we think of as God's Story.



So I will try to learn from Megan. I will try to learn how to listen better and to value the stories I hear for the sake of those who tell them. Later on some theme may emerge that ties things together, or maybe not. But the very act of telling one's story and hearing the stories others tell may be enough to make the "present moments" of our lives worthwhile.