Caught Up in God's Story

God’s people live by stories. After the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River near Jericho, God commanded his people to set up twelve stones from the river so that when their children would ask them, “What do these stones mean?” they would be prompted to tell the story of God’s deliverance. --Joshua 4.

We are surrounded by reminders of stories, like stones that invite us to ask questions, to hear stories, and then to find our place in God’s story. This will be the focus of our
campus worship this year - hearing the story God is telling and letting it shape us.

Testimony and narrative are a gift from God. In telling stories of God's work, in past and present, we confess our belief in an active, personal, revealing God--a God who speaks as a shepherd, a king, and a comforter.

Like in the Book of Acts, our best stories feature the Holy Spirit as the main character, helping us to discern the work of the Spirit and therefore things that are "not of the Spirit." Through story, scriptural narrative and testimony we will focus this year on God's empowering presence among us in the third person of the Trinity.

It is our hope and prayer that you will hear the story to which the stones testify and also to find your place as a living stone in the
household of God, whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ 1 Peter 2:4-5.

Some songs for the theme of Stories:

Songs for the STORY theme

Psalter Hymnal
530 I Love to Tell the Story
490 This Is My Story /Blessed Assurance
216 Song of Simeon (fulfilling prophets’ story)
429 The Heavens Declare the Glory (day unto day the story repeats from hour to hour)
465 Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above (proclaim aloud the wondrous story)
479 I Will Sing of My Redeemer (I will tell the wondrous story)
572 Jesus Priceless Treasure (What to me your story)
259 Out of Need and Out of Custom (We have heard the glowing stories)

353 Infant Holy (saw the glory, heard the story)
354 Angels From The Realms Of Glory (ye who sang creation’s story)

272 You Are Our God (God told Abraham)
274 O God, Great Father (covenant blessing)
275 The Lord Our God in Mercy Spoke (that promise Abraham believed)
621 The God of Abraham Praise (also vs 2 -land of milk and honey)
476 When Israel Was In Egypt’s Land
543 Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer (pilgrim through barren land)
152 I Will Sing Unto the Lord (Miriam’s song)
328 O Come, O Come, Immanuel (ramsom captive Israel; Sinai’s height; Branch of Jesse’s stem
153 The Ten Commandments
462 Amazing Grace (through many dangers; lead me home)

Sing! A New Creation
150 Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen (v 2: Christ ... telling the story to open our eyes)
128 Shine, Jesus, Shine (lives tell your story)
34 Let All Creation Bless the Lord (let all who know God’s steadfast care tell out salvation’s story)

11 Be Still for the Presence of the Lord (Moses and burning bush or on mountain)
237 Crashing Waters at Creation (parting water)
73 The Lord Is God (10 Commandments)

Songs using "story," found on CCLI

Because We Believe, Jamie Harvill
I Don’t Know Why, Andrae Crouch
I’m Living For, Henry Seeley
Lord, We Come, David Bilbrough
Mi Corazon, David Hamilton & Don Moen
No Greater Love, Steven Curtis Chapman
Overwhelmed, Henry Seeley
Receive Our Praise, Randy Butler
Revival Town, Martin Smith
Shine, Marc James & Tre Sheppard
Sing, Aaron Spiro & Charlie Peacock
Speechless,  Geoff Moore & Steven Curtis Chapman
The Coloring Song, Dave Eden
To the Ends of the Earth, Joel Houston
We Declare Your Name, Claire Cloninger, Paul Baloche & Rita Baloche

Other Songs
In The Cross of Christ I Glory
Victory in Jesus
Come All Christians, Be Committed
My Song Is Love Unknown
Mary Had a Baby
O Christ the Same (O Christ the same, through all our story’s pages)