I love fairy tales. There are battles between good and evil. There is beauty as beautiful as you can imagine, and terrifying ugliness. (The movies always fall short don't they? What animator can compete with the imagination of a child?) There is magic and mystery. Even when I know the end, the stories capture me.
Stories draw images which inspire and shape imagination. Stories can command emotion or impart truth.
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone." (Isaiah 9:1)
During advent we read these familiar prophesies in our preparation for Christmas. It is easy to breeze through them. We know them; we have heard them thousands of times. We fancy that we understand them, since indeed Jesus came fulfilling the prophesies.
Can we imagine the longing of a people waiting for Christ? Blindly wandering in the land of gloom, but trusting the Lord. Their anticipation encouraged by the prophets. Can we be those people?
Yearn for the Lord.
"As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God." (Psalm 42:2)
You cannot appreciate, or even understand, a story if you skip to the end. We know that Christmas is coming. We know that Christ is coming. Immerse yourself in hopeful anticipation.
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