The last few verses of John’s gospel tell us that this book came from the testimony of John himself, one of the 12 disciples. John was Jesus’ closest friend. (Inner Circle = Peter, James & John) In this passage John is referred to as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." A friend of mine has a bumper sticker that reads: "Jesus loves you, but I’m his favorite." Jesus loves everyone equally, but while on earth he appeared to have his closest friendship with John.

Please read the passage.

I’d like to speak just briefly this morning on the subject - "The Story We Find Ourselves In." By the way, when I say, I’d like to "speak briefly this morning," that’s no guarantee that I will!

By being here this morning you have entered into a great, great story.

I believe it’s the greatest story that the world has ever known. There are other stories, of course, but this is our story, this is our song. It is larger than all of us combined. It is larger than all the Christians in the world put together. It’s a grand and marvelous story.

It goes all the way back to the First Century to such places as Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem. The Author of the story wrote some decisive chapters in those places. Of course the story goes back even farther than that. The earliest parts of the story that we have, go back to about 2000 BC to a couple named Abraham and Sarah. Father Abraham and Mother Sarah got the story going when God called them to journey to a new land flowing with milk and honey, and they said "Yes" and started walking, and the story began. The Author of the Story wrote decisive chapters then too - an Exodus from Egypt, commandments from Mt. Sinai, and a journey through the wilderness to the Land of Promise. It’s quite a story - with amazing plot lines. It’s filled with mystery, intrigue, passion, surprises, human goodness and frailties, a divine call and divine grace.

The phrase, "The Story We Find Ourselves In" comes from Brian McLaren’s book by that same title. This book is part of a trilogy written by McLaren. The first one is entitled, "A New Kind of Christian." I printed these titles in your bulletin this morning because they are incredible books. (One of our book clubs recently read all 3) They are works of fiction that teach a new way of being a Christian - a new way of reading the Bible that honors and respects it greatly but takes into account the world in which we live. McLaren tackles such topics as science and evolution, other religions, heaven and hell, and the vocabulary of our faith. And he does so by telling a very good story. So next time you’re looking for a good book that’s part fiction and part spirituality, look for Brian McLaren. He’s the best writer I’ve come across in a long time who articulates in a fresh new way how we can be Christians in our world today.

Listen to what one of his characters, Kerry, says in, The Story We Find Ourselves In: "I believe we are connected to the Creator by a story, a true story that begins with the words, ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,’ a story that ends with, "Behold I make all things new.’ "There are other stories, too. Our story has room for all the other stories. It doesn’t exclude them, or mock them or despise them. I believe it’s the story in which all other stories can find themselves too."

Another character, Neo, puts it this way: "This story is the best one around, sistah. It has the truest news, the deepest views, the highest theme, the most inspiring dream, the plot most full of meaning and magic, vigor and rigor, startle and sparkle, emotion and motion. It rocks! If you give it a fair hearing, I think you’ll agree."

Now by calling all of this a story doesn’t mean that it’s not true. It is a true story that we find ourselves in - rooted and grounded in history and most importantly in God’s interactions with real human beings. It’s a true and an ongoing story - a story that we’re trying to live out and be faithful to today.

Do you know that you and I are living out a number of stories simultaneously? (that’s how smart we are!) We’re living out the story of human beings on this planet - part tragedy/part comedy. We’re living out the story of human beings in North American. We’re living out the story of the United States of American. We’ve living out the story of Red Sox Nation! We’re continuing to live out the story of New England, of the great State of Maine, and if you live here in York we’re living out the story of the town of York. We’re living out the story of Christians in North America, of Congregationalists in New England, of First Parish Church in York Village. All of these are true stories and ongoing stories, and we’re a part of them, we’re continuing to write these stories.

This past February we held a memorial service for a longtime and wonderful parishioner, David Lusty. David was a man of faith and also a man who enjoyed telling a good story. But not only that - David lived out a beautiful story. In 1953 David Lusty purchased Harris Island to build and operate a marina.

During the summer of 1954 Harriette Sibley arrived on the scene to assist the growing business. They fell in love, got married and had a dream of operating an Inn together and of raising their family on Harris Island. And they wrote that exact story and lived their dream. The story of David and Haddy is still ongoing, not only through their two sons, Phil & Eric who run the Dockside but also through all four sons and all their children. The love story of David and Harriette is an ongoing story through a wonderful family.

I hope you know this morning that God’s story is a love story as well. It’s the old, old story of Jesus and his love. It’s the story of God’s love for you. It’s the story of a people trying to live as God’s sons and daughters, seeking to live out the dreams and desires of our Creator.

In our text this morning, Mary did not feel like she was living a love story.

As she walked to the tomb early in the morning, she was living a tragedy. She knew the goodness of Jesus, the power of Jesus and the love of Jesus. She had experienced all those things firsthand. Mary is often mistaken for a prostitute mentioned but unnamed in the gospels. Mary Magdalene in the Gospels had a very specific past. In Luke 8 we learn that she lived a tormented life, possessed it says by 7 demons, until Jesus cast them out of her. She became one of his most loyal and devoted followers. She was there at the foot of the Cross with John. She was there when Jesus was placed in the tomb. She was the first there on Easter morning. But she was living a tragedy until she heard Jesus speak her name, "Mary."

I hope and pray that in the story you find yourself in, you have heard that same thing - you’ve heard God speak your name - not audibly usually, but a tug of the heart, a filling of your soul, a joy that comes from beyond you and yet is in you.

D.L. Moody was the Billy Graham of an earlier generation. He writes of God touching his heart one day. He left church and described it this way - "I thought the old sun shone a good deal brighter than it ever had before - I thought that is was just smiling upon me; and as I walked out upon Boston Common and heard the birds singing in the trees, I thought they were all singing a song to me. It seemed to me that I was in love with all creation."

In this story we find ourselves in - God draws near and makes us more alive than we’ve ever been before. The Risen Christ brings life. That’s why ours is such a great story to live in - Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith walks beside us, all around us and within us, further inspiring the story.

I was reading in the news recently about Christian Fundamentalist protesters shouting mean and obscene things at people whose lifestyles and orientations they disagreed with. And I thought to myself - "Those protesters are forgetting what story they’re in. They’re supposed to find themselves in the story of Jesus and his love. That’s not the story they’re telling. Instead they’re telling the story of Christians and their hatred." What story are we in?

I’ve always loved the true story about a seminary students who was doing an internship as a chaplain in a hospital in the mid-1980s. (former model) We were just learning of HIV/AIDS. On the floor where she was serving one day there happened to be the first AIDS patient that most of the staff had ever come into contact with. She walked by and saw one of the other hospital chaplains standing at the door praying - not going into the room. She waited until he left and she went in, held the man’s hand, listened and then prayed with him. She went back almost daily, often holding him in her arms, until the day he died.

She was sharing her experience with her seminary classmates one day, and they starting asking questions like, "How could you do it? Weren’t you afraid? Why did you do it?" She simply replied, "I just thought to myself it’s what Jesus would have done."

She remembered the story she was in. It’s a story worth being in. We find ourselves in this story. We find our true selves in this story - who we’re meant to be, who we’re made to be. When you give yourself to the story, the Story of Jesus and his love it gives your life - Meaning, Direction, Purpose, Inspiration & Community. It weaves our little lives into the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the Risen One.

Illustration. Fred Craddock tells the story of a day he met a man named Ben Hooper. Mr. Hooper was having breakfast at a table next to Professor Craddock and his wife. They struck up a conversation and it came out that Craddock was a preacher. "I’ve got a story to tell you about a preacher. And he told him about growing up in a small town in the Bible belt, and that his mother was a very colorful character in the town and she was not married when Ben Hooper was born, which back then in the Bible Belt was absolutely scandalous. When Ben was a child he began to attend a Baptist Church next to the apartment where he and his mother lived. He enjoyed the service but used to sneak out to avoid talking with anyone. One Sunday he got held up in the crowd and couldn’t get out in time. It was then that he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was the preacher’s hand. The pastor said, "Now boy, I know you. You’ve been coming to our services for a while now.

"I think I know who you are. Why boy, you’re a child of ?" (in the south you’re often referred to as Jesse’s boy, Joe’s son) "Why boy, you’re a child of?" - and then he remembered who he was and what people said about him. "Why boy, you’re a child of God. And I see a striking resemblance. Now go, Son, claim your inheritance."

Ben Hooper claimed his inheritance, his identity as a child of God. He went to college, became an attorney, went into politics and became a two-terms governor of Tennessee. He got a new story that day. And that made all the difference.

If you’ve never offered your life to the Author of Life, there’s no better day than Easter to say, "Dear Jesus, I want to be part of your story. Come into my life and make me yours." And the Risen Christ will do just that. And you become part of the ongoing story of Jesus and his love.

Think about it, let’s pray about it:

Risen Jesus, we praise you for your victory over the grave. We love you because you first loved us. We thank you that you continue to reach out to us today, speaking our names, making us yours. Lord, thank you that we can be apart of the ongoing story of your love. Help us to live that story this day, this week and always. In your name. Amen.