generational stories

Our church’s Faith Formation team is working on ways to promote inter-generational story-telling as a means of helping members discover faithful options at the crossroads of life. Sometimes it seems like a slow slog, but I was reinforced this morning while reading Psalm 145.

Look at verses 3-7: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”

I love the sequencing – the previous generation tells its stories, and then the author meditates. The previous generation shares what they know about God, and then the author proclaims. The faithful praise and story-telling of the generation in the Psalm has a profound effect on the people.

That’s my hope for our Faith Formation initiative. There is so much power in the experience of ordinary people. There is so much power in tales of God’s power and faithfulness. If we can just find the right setting and tools, we can unleash a wave of goodness in our congregation.

I’m praying today that each generation will see the need younger people have for their stories, and will be moved to tell them.