The Joy of Glory

Psalm 78:1-8 (click here)
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78:1-4)

Reflection
Every community has a narrative.

Our country, our state, our city, our neighborhood… they all have a narrative… a story that explains what has happened in the past to lead up to the present, and that likely foreshadows where the community will head in the future.

And communities innately understand that part of their responsibility is to teach this narrative to the next generation. I’ve began learning American history the moment I set foot in a public-school classroom. Growing up in Georgia, we had an entire segment of our social studies dedicated to Georgia history. On and on the retelling of history goes.

We all understand ourselves as part of a larger story.

Why?

Perhaps it is because we were created as part of a larger story… a grand narrative written by the creator himself. Perhaps we are a part of God’s story.

This is precisely what Scripture unfolds… the grand story of God through creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. And we are a part of this story! Apart from this story, we cannot understand the world, our current place in history, or where we are headed! If we lose this story, we will lose ourselves and the very meaning of our lives.

This is why the Psalmist calls for the story of God’s glorious deeds to be told to the coming generation! They must not forget who there God is, what he has done, and what he will do! The coming generation must not forget who they are and what their purpose is as a part of God’s people!

This is why we, the church, gather week after week to re-hear and rehearse the story of God’s great Gospel! It is this story that shapes how we view God, the world, ourselves, and the goal of all things!

Will we, as a community, tell this story to the coming generation? Are you being a part of God’s story by sharing it as it was shared with you? Part of belonging to a cruciform community is sharing the story that makes us cruciform with the coming generation. Who can you share the Gospel with today? What younger Christian can you come alongside and help them to be shaped by the story of God’s glory in the Gospel?

“…tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done…”

*All previous devotionals may be found at www.thejoyofglory.com
*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.