A Story To Tell

The story we are always eager to hear on Christmas Eve as we gather for worship has its known parts, but like any story from the past, there are moments hidden between the lines that we shall never know.  We can never really know the expression on Joseph's face when his hand first felt the kick of his unborn son.  Only a mother can imagine the sense of wonder which must have swept across the heart of Mary as she felt the reality of growing life within her.  What did they say to one another when the innkeeper said, "No room?"  How chagrined must Joseph have been when he saw the animal stall that would hold his son!  There are so many stories which could be told if someone had only told them.     

On this night before the great story of the birth of Christ is told once again, we are reminded that we all have our own story of coming to Jesus.  We may not have come with the songs of angels in our ears, or with our eyes glued to the heavens, but our story is our story and it is an important story for those who come after us to know.  We can tell the story of the great fish that did not get away, or some muscle car from the past, or maybe one about our walking across a stage or down an aisle, but no story has such life changing effect as the one we have about our coming to Jesus.   

It is a story that set the course of our life.  It is one that shaped our spirit.  It is one that enabled us to give love and live with gratitude.  All the important things about us that speak of the essence of our being are the result of that moment we came to know Jesus and chose to walk with Him.  Like the story we will hear soon in our Christmas Eve gatherings, it is a story for the ages and we need to be sure it is being passed to those we love.