Knox Presbyterian Church: A Storied Faith

In her novel Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko writes of a young Native American man named Tayo. She tells of his return home to a reservation after being held prisoner by the Japanese army during World War II. Tayo is of mixed ancestry, and struggles with questions of identity. He is haunted by war memories, and wrestles with alcoholism. What finally leads Tayo towards healing and wholeness is the discovery of story—specifically the stories of the Laguna people.

An oft-quoted section from Ceremony sums up Tayo’s discovery: I will tell you something about stories. They aren’t just entertainment. Don’t be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death. You don’t have anything if you don’t have the stories. Their evil is mighty but it can’t stand up to our stories. So they try to destroy the stories– let the stories be confused or forgotten. They would like that. They would be happy, because we would be defenseless then.

The Christian faith has long viewed stories as vital for our identity and survival as people of faith. There are stories precious enough to be canonized in our scriptures, studied for hours on end, read aloud to one another, and repeated regularly such that they sink into our skin.

We tell them to our children not simply because they are moving stories (though they are). We pass them on because they tell us who we are. And there are too many misleading messages out there that can confuse or marginalize our stories. We hear advertisements that say you are what you own, or what you drive, or how large your bank account happens to be. There are voices that say you are what you look like or what job you do. There are messages that tell us death and taxes are the only certainties in life. The stories of our faith tell us a deeper, truer story. They tell us that we are God’s own. They tell us we have been sought out by a loving God, and have been bought with a price. Our stories recount the hard truth sin, of suffering, and of death. But they tell a hopeful story too of forgiveness and new life. They tell us of a God who will not let us go. We would be lost and defenseless without such stories.

As Lent turns toward Holy Week each year, we call to mind the stories of Jesus as his crucifixion approached. We remember his betrayal and suffering on a cross. And we remember how he rose again from the dead.

At Knox, we will be telling these stories with readings and with drama, with music and the visual arts. Our Palm Sunday worship will tell of our Lord’s Jerusalem entry. Our Maundy Thursday service will remind us of some of our savior’s last words to his disciples. In our interactive Experiencing Good Friday event, we will walk through stations recalling our Lord’s last days leading up to the cross. And on Easter, we will sing in full voice, remembering
our savior lives and is at work among us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we retell the great stories of our faith this Holy Week, may we remember again who and whose we are. Wishing you a meaningful Lent and Easter…

Pastor Matt

For more information, visit http://www.knoxpasadena.org/.