The stage is set. An unlikely cast of characters is waiting in the wings, and the world is preparing to gather once more, relishing the retelling of this familiar story.
It’s a story that has everything. Scandal, intrigue, jealousy, trust, surrender, new life, and of course, love.
And as we gaze in wonder at the grand finale—the newborn King lying in the grubby manger, the star twinkling brightly in the dark Bethlehem night, we smile as we close the book for another year. The story has been told, everything is as it should be, and we can all go about our business as before.
But the story doesn’t end there, does it?
The baby grows up.
A manger is exchanged for a cross.
A birth for a death.
An innocent paying a heavy price.
“It is finished,” He cried as He breathed His last. What horror! What tragedy! What disappointment to see His story end like…this.
But it still wasn’t finished, was it? The Author still had a plot twist to reveal; one last surprise up His sleeve.
An empty tomb
A resurrection
A risen King.
What love! What joy! What hope! Now we can close the book, surely. Now the credits can roll.
And yet this story is one that continues to unfold. The Author has not yet laid down His pen, and the baby in the manger continues to work in and through our lives—restoring and redeeming hearts and lives, saving souls. And one day He will return again for the final chapter as the greatest love story ever written reaches its dramatic conclusion.
And so, this advent season as you turn the pages to those well worn, well versed chapters and read once more of angels, shepherds, and kings, remember to keep reading—long after the decorations are back in their boxes for another year.
For God’s love story to the world is still unfolding. And you, my friend, are in the midst of it.
