Master the Bible: How to Get and Keep the Big Picture of the Bible's Story

Chapter 4: F rom Before to Beyond T ime , Ser i es 2 69

servanthood does not take place unless the church remembers with the whole sweep of Scripture and is enabled to hope for a real future in light of God’s promises.

~ Doug E. Sailers. “The Origins of the Church Year.” Robert Webber, ed. The Services of the Church Year . Nashville: Star Song Pub. Group, 1994, p. 92.

A. Why are stories are so important to us?

1. All peoples and cultures shape their experience on the basis of the stories they hold dear and true, stories which they use to help them understand how the world works.

2. Our worldview (our way of understanding who we are and why we are here) comes from the stories cherished and embraced in our societies and cultures.

3. The big story that people tell themselves, that one which deals with their ultimate concerns and truest perspectives is called “myth.”

4. The Big Story answers the “big questions” of human life and hope.

a. Origins: Who made the worlds, and where did we come from?

b. Purpose: Why are we here, and what is our purpose for living?

c. Destiny: What is our ultimate destiny?

d. Afterlife: Where do we go when we die?