Just Tell Me The Story

Last night we went to see two of the Medieval mystery plays… ‘The Trials of Mary & Joseph’ told the Nativity story – including immaculate conception, a doubting husband, local opposition, scandal, sceptical midwives… ‘Mankind’, England’s most popular comedy of the 90’s (that’s the 1490’s) told of young man caught between the temptations of three mischievous devils and the need to be a good person…

We enjoyed and appreciated good stories well told…

The medieval cycles of mystery plays consisted of a series of scenes, starting with creation, continuing with Old Testament stories, the birth, life and death of Jesus, finishing with judgement day… Performed on Corpus Christie Sunday or taken on tour… One cycle was based in East Anglia… Apparently ‘East Anglia was the Broadway or West End of the 15th Century English theatre.’

Important stories for everybody, told regularly, repeatedly…

Yesterday my friend Jane told me about her trip to Ireland – flying from Stansted to Dublin, hiring a car, seeing her son whom she hasn’t seen for some time, watching her granddaughter dancing, enjoying the St Patrick Day celebrations, getting a flavour of Irish religious roots.

Through her stories I got to know and understand Jane better…

Holy Week contains a succession of timeless stories. There are events – Palm Sunday, temple visits, home visits, the Last Supper, the unjust trial, crucifixion, death, burial. It’s about people – joy and sorrow, reliability and inconsistency, anticipation and disappointment, strength and weakness, hope and grief…

I come to this old story time after time. I become be part of it.

In church I’ve heard countless sermons about ‘hosanna’, ‘foot washing’, ‘bread and wine’, ‘the cross’, ‘Jesus blood’… I’ve been taught their theological significance, told what I should think and believe, encouraged to respond in particular ways, passed on that teaching as honestly and faithfully as I can…

Today I just want to hear the story… with deeper appreciation, recognising it’s importance, understanding Jesus better… again becoming a part of the story.