Sunday, October 13, 2019

Devotion

1 I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know it's true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else would do.

Refrain
I love to tell the story;
'twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

2 I love to tell the story:
how pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it,
more wonderfully sweet!
I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God's own holy word. Refrain

3 I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
I'll sing the old, old story
that I have loved so long. Refrain

Text: Katherine Hankey, 1834-1911

Some of the best pastoral wisdom I have received has come from Michel de Certeau, a French Jesuit and social theorist. De Certeau describes how few people have grand plans for their lives — or even their days. At any given moment the vast majority of people are just trying to make do.

The third and final verse of I Love to Tell the Story" begins, "I love to tell the story, for those who know it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest." Even those who know the story of Jesus and his love to be true need regular reminding. They, too, are often just trying to make do. The story of Jesus is not just a piece of information to keep in our brains. It is more like an encouragement, a burst of hope, that gets us through the day. The story of Jesus and his love is a story for people who are trying to make do.

How have you recently been encouraged by the story of Jesus and his love?