A Note from Seth

My dear friends,

Bishop Gray, III, instilled in me a firm belief that we, as Christians and Episcopalians, are a people of story. The academic term for this is narrative theology. But I think storytelling sounds much better than a narrative.

Upon opening the monthly letter from The Anglican Digest, I was reminded of the story of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach, as summarized by The Right Reverend Anthony J. Burton. Bach had quite a life, but I had forgotten how much tragedy was contained in his life. Death was all around him- he lost both parents as a boy and later ten of his children and his wife. Bach spent time in debtor's prison. And there was a time after his own death when his now famous works were not performed for a century.

Bach was never interested in telling his own story. He never imagined anything he composed would survive him. And he left no autobiography or journal of any kind. But Bach's music gives us a picture into the story he wanted to tell. At the beginning of each composition, Bach wrote the letters "J.J." for Jesus Juva meaning Jesus help me. At the end of each composition, Bach wrote the letters SDG- soli Deo Glory- To the Glory of God alone." Bishop Burton comments, "Not to the glory of God AND J.S. Bach, but to the glory of God alone. Bach had exchanged his story for God's story for Bach understood that his hope lay not in any story he could invent but in the story of Jesus Christ."

This season of Lent is a time when we do the same- when the church calls to our hearts and minds the realization that if left to our own devices, our story becomes one of tragedy and death. But when our story is God's story, our story becomes one of resurrection and life, as given to us in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we continue through these holy forty days of Lent, let us all take a good look at the story our lives are telling. Are we telling our story or God's story?

The peace of Christ be always with you,
Seth+