Aren’t the best stories the ones between good and evil, especially the ones where the fate of the world is on the line?
As I type these words, the Avengers movies come to mind.
Over the past few years, we’ve followed the adventures of the Avengers. As their saving the world storyline unfolded over 20 something movies, we also experienced the backstories of each Avenger. We got to know them and see the parts of their stories that revealed why they fought against evil.
And by the end of the last movie, The End Game, it became clear which Avenger would be the one to save the world.
I was not happy with the writers at the end of that movie. I didn’t want any of the good guys to die. I am a huge proponent of happily ever after.
But as I’ve rewatched the movies with the end in mind, I’ve spotted the clues, the trail of bread crumbs the writers sprinkled in one movie after another that revealed why the overall story had to end that way.
Are you ready for this?
It reminds me of the Christmas story, which is part of the ultimate battle between good and evil.
And in this storyline, Christmas was a definite plot twist.
It might seem foolish for God to step into history in the form of a newborn baby, the most vulnerable of all creatures, to go toe-to-toe with His enemy.
After all, the fate of the world, the fate of humanity, was at stake.
And yet, the clues are there, sprinkled like a trail of bread crumbs throughout the Old Testament.
The Christmas story is part of a larger story, a story that began before God said, “Let there be light.” A story that includes the Garden of Eden, the cross and resurrection. A story that is still unfolding.
The backdrop of the manger scene is the Garden of Eden. That is where our need for a Savior began.
God created this beautiful world and created man and woman in His image. As part of His image, He wove into our DNA a need for relationship, connection, belonging.
Satan did not bring an army in and confront God head-on. Instead, he slithered in and convinced Eve that the face-to-face relationship she had with God wasn’t enough. His words cast a shadow in her mind about the goodness, love, and intention of God.
Oh, how he must have celebrated as she and Adam bit into that fruit. The precious souls God created and loved had rejected Him. With that bite the beautiful world God spoke into being became enemy territory.*
And for a while it looked as though the enemy had won.
Then, at just the right time, God stepped into history.
It was the beginning of the fulfillment of his promise back in Genesis 3. It was the beginning of things being set right. The tiniest beginning of God bringing His world back to the way things are supposed to be.
The tiniest beginning that changed everything.
When we look at the first Christmas with the end in mind, we can clearly see why the Gospel is good news. Jesus came to be with us, to show us what God is like, and to do what was necessary to restore the broken relationship between God and man.
And the only response to that is JOY.
Download this free printable of Joy to the World by clicking here.
*Excerpt from In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life by Erin Ulerich
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