If you’ve been around for a while, you have probably heard a few and even told a few.  “Well, you better sit down, it’s a long story.”  Every story is part of a bigger story and it’s a story we’re all in.  Since creation and the fall, human beings have been a part of a very long story.  The Hero of the story came from heaven to earth, He took on flesh and lived and taught among people.  It was love that brought Him, His love for us.  Yet, some of the very people He loved rejected Him, tortured Him and crucified Him on the cross.  He rose from the dead!  He is alive!  He is our King and our Savior.  Jesus is the model human and the express image of the Father.  His story is far from over.  By His Spirit, He continues to draw people to Himself to forgive them of sins and restore them to the image He intended.  Pastor Mead used to remind us that we are all a part of God’s story.  Whether it is a positive part or a negative part is up to us, individually.  I can’t make you be a positive part of God’s story.  I want you to be but it’s up to you.  How can we be a positive part of God’s story?  By responding to the truth we know.  God came to give us life and that life is available as we trust and obey.  There is no other way to be happy in Jesus and flourishing in His kingdom than to trust and obey.