Reflections (The Stories of Jesus)

"Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear; things I would ask him to tell me if he were here: scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea, stories of Jesus, tell them to me."
If we were live together in church today, children would be walking through the church waving palm branches.
"Into the city I'd follows the children's band, waving a branch of the palm tree high in my hand."
We did take pictures of some of our children with their homemade palm branches as they waved them from their home to our hearts.
The stories of Jesus.
One Palm Sunday, when we served in Raymore, I brought in an accompaniment for the children.  That was the time we had a live donkey walk in our procession.  It worked fine, but have not pushed my luck since.
Some who take note of my actions could tell you stories of my anxiousness as the children processed through the worship service, once, twice, three times...They would note my foot tapping.  They would note me checking the time.  They would note my impatience.  Gotta have time to preach!  Then it was discovered that if they would simply toss me a Cadbury egg, all would be well.  How's that for a story?
Today I think about the stories of Jesus.
We read the stories of Jesus in the Bible.
We also hear the stories of Jesus in songs of faith.
I have an affinity toward "contemporary Christian music".  I have been drawn to and blessed by new forms of worship since the 1980's. 
I also realize that the foundation for worship music came from the hymns of the church.  What also feeds my soul is good old Southern Gospel Music.
Tell me the Stories of Jesus.
Precious Lord, Take My Hand.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
How Great Thou Art.
Blessed Assurance.
I'll Fly Away.
The Old Rugged Cross.
Victory in Jesus.
Amazing Grace.
When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.
Because He Lives.
The Lighthouse.
It is Well With My Soul.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus.
Pass Me Not.
Great is Thy Faithfulness.
This list could go on and on.  Add to your list.  Music has a way of touching our hearts with the stories of Jesus.
For this season things are different.  We are not gathering face to face, but we still meet heart to heart.  Covid-19 is an ever present threat.  We take it seriously and practice safety measures.  But Covid-19 will not define our lives and who we are.  Someday the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will be relegated to a few paragraphs in a Wikipedia article.  It will be the object of a scientific article in a journal only a specific group will read.  It will be stories we tell future generations.  But it will not compare to the Stories of Jesus.
Today I am thankful for the stories of Jesus written on my heart in so many ways.
May a story of Jesus be written on your heart today.
This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
steve