Sacred Roots Workshop

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Ses s i on 3: The Stor y of God

2. Teaching on the kingdom story was the heart of Jesus’ teaching.

3. The kingdom story is the central focus of biblical theology.

4. The kingdom story is final criterion for judging truth and value.

5. The kingdom story provides an indispensable key to understanding human history.

6. The kingdom story coordinates and fulfills our particular lives and destinies as they relate to God's reign.

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Janet Litherland says, “Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds. Consequently, stories often pack more punch than sermons. We want to make a point or raise an issue? Tell a story. Jesus did it.” . . . Stories, parables, fables, anecdotes, illustrations, etc., help us to see the “bigger picture” in life. They help us to understand there is more to life than our own limited spheres of experience. They create pictures in our mind and open up our imagination to comprehend a greater dimension of life than we are normally used to experiencing. Stories are vehicles that take us to far off places, places we’ve never experienced ourselves. ~ Fr. Brian Cavanaugh. Picturing the Kingdom of God . http://www.appleseeds.org/picture.htm.

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II. The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots (The Biblical, Canonical Story That Narrates the World)

Retrieving the Great Tradition is TUMI's ongoing passion and project to recover, articulate, and embody God's truthful Story of redemp- tion and restoration of the world that spans from creation to the consummation of all things. The Bible tells the Story of God’s