More Story

Story-telling. I'm not reducing the scriptures to "just" story. God, His Son, and His Holy Spirit have chosen to use stories to teach us.

For what it's worth, children's writers learn to

1)Consider your audience
-who are they?
-what do they care about?
-what language and experiences are familiar to them?
-what challenges do they face?

2)What's the story about? What can a three year old relate to? An 8 year old? A 12 year old?

When I took the Easter story looking for the simplest story for preschool and things they could relate to, the focus on friends came after the fact. I didn't start with that. It happened searching for details in the story that someone little could relate to. It's only part of the story but it's not untrue or misleading.

8 & 9 year olds might not relate to a trial but they can relate to being falsely accused of something they didn't do. They can probably relate to friends turning on them and friends caring about them. They'd love to know that Jesus who was dead wasn't there and the soldiers who were supposed to be alive looked like dead men. That parallel was new to me, too, and funny in an odd way. They might be able to relate to Peter's anger when he took the sword and Jesus said, put it away. A twelve year old can relate to that part of the story.

As I say, I'm not advocating changing, leaving out, or adding to. There is sooo much to be mined in the scriptures without doing any of that. And it's not just for adults. It's not just for seminary students. God's Word stands alive and resurrected. He accomplishes what He sets out to accomplish and we're the ones who change not His story.

Happy Resurrection Day!