In our circles we talk a lot about narrative, and as I have been preaching through 1 Samuel (an extended narrative), I have been thinking about this subject a goodish bit. Throw in the postmodern talent for getting such things muddled, and you have a subject where care is required.
The glory of Hamlet is partly to be found in the fact that not one character in the play understands the entire play. When we emphasize “narrative,” we sometimes make the mistake of forgetting that we are actors — we are not readers, or spectators, or directors, or producers. We are actors. This means that what we need to know is how to read our cues, which is not the same thing as knowing how to read the entire script. Many Christians think they are reading the full script, when what they are doing is missing their cues.
Not one of us gets to read the complete script of the play we are in beforehand. We do get to read and reread the sacred Script, and we are called to be steeped in it. If we read this Script properly, it helps us to read our cues.