Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
Psalm 66.16
Stories are powerful things, and it is no accident that the Bible is full of them. The Bible is also one big story of God and his love for his creation. Looking at the stories of others is one of the best ways of understanding what is means to follow Jesus. Telling our story and the difference knowing Jesus has made to our lives is one of the most effective ways of sharing our faith. During August we are going to explore the story of God’s relationship with his world and thinking about how our stories fit in the bigger story of God. We will then reflect on how we could tell God’s story and our stories to others so we can be the storytellers we are called to be.
Each week, we will also be hearing some of the stories of the difference Jesus makes to members of the Sunnyside church family.
These two short films from the Bible Project give helpful overviews of the Bible story:
Old Testament and New Testament (includes the OT as part of the bigger story).
God’s Story – Our Stories
Sunday 1st August God’s Story Part 1: Promise
Readings: Exodus 6.2-9; Hosea 11.1-11
God intended us to live in relationship with him and with one another. When we broke these relationships, God began his restoration project by forming a new community, the people of God. Despite Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness and stubbornness, God kept his promises and remained faithful to his people.
Sunday 8th August God’s Story Part 2: Belonging
Readings: Luke 1.67-79; Acts 10.34-43
God sent his own son, Jesus to show us how much he loves us, to restore our relationships and form a new community, the Church. This family of God is where we can learn more about loving God and others and show the world what God intended when he created the world.
Sunday 15th August God’s Story in Pill
Reading: Luke 5.1-11
Justin and Lucy Groves will be telling us some of the stories of God at work in Pill, a very deprived area of Newport, Wales where they work.
Sunday 22nd August Our Stories: the difference Jesus makes
Readings: Luke 19.1-10; Acts 26.1-23
Whether we came to know Jesus through a slow process like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus or had a dramatic conversion like Paul on the Damascus Road, our story is part of the bigger story of the faithfulness of God.
Sunday 29th August Telling God’s Story in Our Stories
Readings: Psalm 66; John 4.39-42
We are all called to be storytellers. Telling the story of the difference Jesus makes to our lives is one of the best ways of sharing the good news about the love of God with other people. What story is God asking you to tell and to whom?