“Tell Me Again” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

A little boy sitting on a metal folding chair
In what appears to be a Sunday school room
He could see that shepherd boy, His sling up in the air
He could feel that giant hit with a boom
In that room I saw the Red Sea part
And two by two animals get in the ark
And Mrs. Keen gently would say
The God of the past is still God today

So tell me again of the old, old stories
Tell me again of the faithful who walked
In the lions’ den and the fiery furnace
Of Noah and rainbows and donkeys that talked
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me again

A young man sitting at a desk with a wooden chair
In what appears to be a high school class
He can see a battlefield there’s giants everywhere
Saying, “The Bible is a thing of the past”
In this new age you believe what you want to believe
‘Cause god is whatever you want it to be
And I can hear Mrs. Keen gently say
The God of the past is still God today

So tell me again of the old, old stories
Tell me again of the faithful who walked
In the lions’ den and the fiery furnace
Of Noah and rainbows and donkeys that talked
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me again

How the God of the ages
Turned history’s pages and saw my need
Tell me again of the shepherds and wise men
And the star that would lead them to the baby who was born
So that we could be born again

Tell me again of the Gospel story
Tell me again how the whole world was lost
How the Only Begotten with grace so amazing
Gave up His life on an old rugged cross
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me
Tell me again of the old, old stories
Tell me again of the faithful who walked
How the Only Begotten, with grace so amazing
Gave up His life on an old rugged cross
I don’t want to forget so please, tell me again
I dont’ want to forget, so please, tell me again

Written by Geoff Moore and Steve Chapman

Dear God, I’m I. A chapel at almost 10:00 on a Sunday evening. my wife is taking an hour to pray. I decided to take the time to be with her, although in another corner of the room and finish a book I’ve been reading. I finished the book so I started playing solitaire on the tablet and listening to my Christian playlist on shuffle (with headphones). This song was the first song up and I listened to it three or four times. It filled me with warmth. It made me remember back to sitting in Sunday school as an 8- and 9-year-old, listening to the stories. The flannel-graph was always fun (I just looked up flannel-graphs for sale—they still exist!).

I still love those stories, but I’m better at applying them to my life now. They were always great, but now I have more sympathy for the unfaithful Israelites who drove me crazy because they just kept repeating the same sins (sounds like me). I see Noah’s, Abraham’s, and Samson’s flaws. I understand the rise and fall of David and how the sin of Bathsheba/Uriah followed him to his death.

As I sit here and pray now, I pray that my children will remember these stories and times in Sunday school like I do, and mature into the stories and see the real beauty in how you’ve chosen to reveal yourself to us through them. Help them to learn about themselves through a mature look at these women and men who were wonderful and flawed. And how much you loved them. Help them to see you through these old stories of the faithful, and not so faithful.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen