“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

In my life time, the Spirit and focus on Christmas has never been as disrupted as it has these past few years.  The winds and residuals of a viral pandemic, ongoing military conflict, political and racial unrest, and a godless cultural trend contribute at hurricane levels.  To be sure, even at the height of this Christmas season, truly honoring the unmatched gift of Christ proves illusive. Sure, we can appear to come close via extraordinary word choices, art work, or in song in hallowing His Creativity, His Name, and His redeeming purpose.  My best effort to pay honest tribute to the One we traditionally celebrate at this time of the year, is always reduced to the same simple question. What is the Greatest Story Ever Told?

For me, there are several elements worth considering. First, the greatest story should affect the most people; it should be extremely creative, imaginative, comprehensive, inclusive, universal, and engaging; it has to have integrity and completeness; it must pack unparalleled power and life to change its readers for the better, and finally, for something to be the greatest story ever told, IT MUST BE A TRUE STORY!

I don’t know about you, but a particular story comes immediately to mind. It is the account of Jesus Christ—the One who supernaturally came to earth as a man to bear witness of the truth. Of all the books ever written, I’m quite certain that few if any boast a main character as unique and impacting as Jesus Christ. This figure was sent as the highest gift of God to save mankind from sin by shedding His blood and dying on the Cross. His was a legacy filled with supernatural ability, wisdom in the fullness of Father God, ultimate authority obtained via humility, love, and victory over all things evil, including death. His life is depicted in an epic novel that was written over 1,500 years through 40 or so hands, consists of 66 books, and stands as the all-time bestseller by many millions of copies. If there is another tale as affecting… if there is another work as creative, imaginative, comprehensive, inclusive, universal, and engaging… if there is another author as capable of capturing integrity and completeness… if there is another piece of literature that packs such power and life to restore its reader, then I’d be very interested in getting my hands on it.

In the midst of our current challenging atmosphere, may the Spirit of the Living God comfort us to settle down and to focus on the truth of the answer to my simple question.  The “greatest story ever told” is quite a concept. Only one title is worthy. And while there are many in the offing, I’m convinced it’s the narrative that upholds the abundant life found in the honest effort of following Christ. I mean, just listen to the beauty of the prose that goes way beyond a mere Christmas season in Luke 2:10-11: Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” How great is that?

John 14:6; Rom 10:9-10; John 18:37; John 10:10;