Decades later while pursuing a Master of Divinity degree, I was again faced with a required reading list and this one was massive. Fortunately, time, experience, and a clear sense of calling brought purpose to the task and I eagerly devoured the books. I even found that I liked writing papers! Somewhere in that massive reading list, I was introduced to another idea: every story ever written is a longing for the story, the good news of a Savior sent from heaven to rescue us from sin and its corruption and win for us eternal life in glorious fellowship with God.
It is in the Holy Bible that we read of this Savior, a hero come to earth from heaven as one of us. He lived among us and shared the hardships, disappointments and griefs common to our existence. Though his adversaries relentlessly persecuted him, he remained faithful to his mission, resolute. Then, in a sudden plot twist of the kind movie-makers have learned to exploit, our Hero was captured, mercilessly beaten, then cruelly executed. What now? The careful reader discovers that our Hero’s death was not a plan gone awry, but the plan from the beginning. Our Hero was sent to do for us what we could not do for ourselves: he lived a sinless life, yet selflessly paid the just penalty for our sins against God. Then, just as planned, God raised him from the dead in glorious triumph.
Like some, I once dismissed this story as hopeful fiction, a mythical utopia authored by fellow mortals to warm our hearts against the cold reality of life and the inevitability of death. I have since had a change of heart and now retell this story in the hope that you will too. I believe that God authored this story, that it’s true, that Jesus is its Hero, and God wants us to trust him for what His story promises. So, I’m going to risk giving you a reading assignment: open a Bible app or book to one of the four gospels, read the story of Jesus, and consider trusting what God has promised. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Oh yes, I almost forgot, you don’t have to write a paper.
