“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” –John 1:14
One of my favorite hymns is, “I Love to Tell the Story.” This beautiful song is filled with language that makes our connection with Jesus seem so intimate. As you sing through the lyrics you hear the joy and passion that Jesus invokes in the person who has heard the great story of his love and wonderful works done while on earth. This hymn lifts my spirits every time I sing it.
The writer of this beautiful hymn is Katherine Hankey. It was published as a two-part poem in 1866, The Story Wanted and The Story Told. Katherine was not a preacher, great hymn writer or educated theologian. Katherine wrote this poem after she had experienced a lengthy illness. The lyrics reflect the joy she found as she searches for and encounters the love of God found in Christ Jesus.
Each time I sing this song it reminds me of how the story of God’s love, revealed in Jesus, has shaped my life. Like Katherine Hankey, I also love to tell the story. I love to share it today, because it made such a difference in my life when I first began to learn the story. It continued to make a difference in my life as I immersed myself in the Gospels. The more I read of Jesus, the more I wanted to know about him and the more I wanted to connect with him as my faith grew.
Each year I teach a Disciple Bible Study class. I tell every class the reason I lead the class is that it keeps me reading the story. It is a life-giving, hope-filled story that has captured my imagination and transformed my life for the better. I hope you will continue to encounter this amazing story. As Katherine Hanky writes, “I love to tell the story, more wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams. I love to tell the story, it did so much for me; and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.” Keep reading the story. I encourage you to keep reading the Gospel of John. Look to Jesus as he walks from village to village and see the love and mercy that follows him where ever he goes.
-Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
