Y7 – Our Need for a Greater Story
by
Sam Jeske
youth presentation
For as long as you can remember, you have been listening to stories—stories about good and evil, love and justice, life and death, and truth and belonging. Whether it is the stories you scroll through on TikTok or the narratives we hear in the news, we use stories as a way of bridging the gap between facts and values. We use stories as a way of making sense of our lives, and answer complicated questions like, Who am I? Where am I going? Why does my life matter?
Our fractured world cannot escape our need for a unifying story that is true for everyone. We need a singular story that is both externally corroborated and internally consistent. We are starving for a story that does not rest upon our restless hearts—but a story within which our restless hearts find rest. We want more than a story that feels good; we want a story that is good.
In this breakout, we will examine several popular stories (i.e., critical theory, expressive individualism, atheism, relativism, et al.) and see why those stories ultimately fall short. We will also highlight how Christ-followers can demonstrate why the greater story of the gospel is—and always will be—so good.
bio info
Sam Jeske serves as a Lutheran pastor in Crown Point, Ind., the place he, his wife, Tracie, and their son, Elijah, have been happy to call home since 2019. Sam likes meeting new people, traveling, bookbinding, reading, going to concerts, studying Chinese, and watching movies. He’s also an enthusiast for board games like Zombicide, Call to Adventure, and The Thing. He is a multi-instrumentalist who loves music and uses it to enrich worship. Sam currently serves as the content moderator for The Institute for Lutheran Apologetics. He also co-hosts a podcast called Graveyard Shift Gospel.
