Skip to main content

Author! Author!



 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  (Acts 3:15)

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.(Hebrews 12:2)

AUTHOR OF LIFE, AUTHOR OF OUR FAITH
          Some people say that there is no meta-narrative, no over-arching story tying everything together. There's no main character. There are no plots or plot twists. Above all else there is on "happily ever after" ending. My writing coach's basic instruction on writing a story (adopted from Dean Koontz) is to get the character(s) in terrible trouble as quickly as possible and have everything done to fix the problem make it worse. Require that the characters solve the problem; no cavalry, no deux ex machina, no last minute rescue by the Enterprise. This is what I see as I read Scripture, with God as the main character. Those same people who say there is no meta-narrative claim that those who see a meta-narrative or an author are deluded. I believe they are the ones deluded, and they are no more able to prove the reality of their meta-narrative that there is no meta-narrative than they think I am to prove that there is.
         As interesting as exploring that issue is, that's not the only understanding to be gained from these verses. It may not even be the primary understanding to be gained. "Author" comes from a Latin term, augere which doesn't have to do with stories at all. It has to do with increasing or causing growth. As the author of life, Jesus causes life to increase or to grow. As the author of faith, He causes faith to increase or grow. 
       As we wonder why things happen in our lives, these passages come to mind. God causes things to happen in our lives in order to cause a growth or increase in faith or life. Another reason God causes things to happen in our life is to reveal growth or increase in our life or faith. That should mean that we should see our lives as real "page turners."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more