The Word for Writers
WE BEGAN THIS SERIES by questioning whether we could find a "divine story imprint" upon creation, wondering if God might be a Storyteller. We posited that God fills three critical roles as Playwright, Producer, and Director. We also proposed five essential components found in every good story. Today we will conclude the series with a look at the last component--theme.
THEME. Read a good story lately? Seen a really good movie? Do you have a favorite book? What makes for a standout drama or a compelling literary work?
Stories that stand the test of time provide those they engage with an exciting setting, spirited characters, a spellbinding plot that moves the story forward, and gripping conflict. But the greatest stories of all provide something more-they give us pause and compel us to reflect upon grand themes.
Consider some of the great works of literature. Do you have a favorite author? Is it Dickens, Hawthorne, or Twain? Perhaps you prefer a contemporary storyteller. What makes their stories stick with you? Is it not the message, the theme, the authors are seeking to convey through their writing?
Did you see the film Braveheart? How did you feel when, strapped to the executioner's block, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) cried out for freedom? His call seemed to echo across the countryside as if he were beckoning to all of England and Scotland to cast off the chains of bondage and fight for liberty. Or how about Gone With the Wind? What message did the infamous Rhett Butler convey when he coldly responded to Scarlett O'Hara with the words, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn," then turned and walked out the front door?
A story's theme reveals much about the passions, convictions, and motivations of the playwright or author. Why did he write the story? What message is he trying to communicate? What is it that weighs upon his soul?
So many themes could be drawn from God's story. Every character in the Bible has a theme. And every Bible story has a theme. What lesson should we choose? Faith? Perseverance? Sacrifice? Mercy? Judgment? Grace? Patience? No one category even comes close to summing it all up.
Many would say that the most is important theme of His story found in the Bible is revealed in John 3:16. "For God so loved the world …" We could easily say that the theme of God's story is best expressed in three simple words--God and man. Certainly there is no theme of Scripture that grips us like the story of God becoming man, living among us in sinless perfection, sacrificing His own life on our behalf, and finally rising from the dead to overcome death itself. Talk about reading a good romance!
Nevertheless, His story is not only about men, but about nations and kingdoms as well. We, God's people, His story's main CHARACTER, have a mission in this SETTING called earth. We are to bring the lost nations to the cross and to disciple them until God's kingdom is fully established or until He returns. As His PLOT unfolds and the CONFLICT with evil rages on, we begin to see another significant THEME of God's story unfold. We find it in Revelation 4:11. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (KJV)
Perhaps the theme of God's story is that He is worthy of honor, glory, and praise--for He has created all things, and all things, including us, are made for His own pleasure and delight. God's story is so theme laden that it's almost impossible to pin Him down to just one.
We began this series with this question: Are there secrets to the art and craft of storytelling? We then looked at God as a PLAYWRIGHT, DIRECTOR, and PRODUCER and explored the five components to good storytelling. Though some folks are naturally gifted as storytellers, there are secrets to the storyteller's art that can be studied and mastered. The most dramatic story ever crafted--once dubbed the "Greatest Story Ever Told"--serves as our highest model, the standard to which all storytellers can and should aspire.
Now, go find yourself a good book.
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