Its Own Legs

When I was a child I got hooked on reading the Bible by reading the stories of the Old Testament.  While I am not sure fascinated is the right word to use for a young reader, I found myself reading those stories in Genesis and Exodus over and over again.  As my reading expanded, I found other great Old Testament stories as well as those of the gospel.  Back in my preaching days, I occasionally used the narrative of a Biblically based created story as a substitute for a Sunday sermon.  When I did, I avoided making sure everyone got the point of the story out of a belief that a good story stands on its own legs.   

Later it would come to me that the many stories of the Bible were connected by a common thread.  Collectively, they are all a part of the story God wrote with the people He brought into being.  It is not just a story of a big boat and a flood, a young boy killing a giant, or a king losing sight of his purpose, but the story of God at work among us.  Thus, the story is still being written.  When Jesus, the Son of God, came as the Incarnate One of God into Bethlehem, the story took on a new dimension.  

It became a story not just being written with the external actions of men and women, but a story told which recorded the way life is transformed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  It became not just a story of deeds done; it became a story of a heart wrapping its arms around the world.  The story of the gospel is not just the story of mighty deeds of wise people.  It is the story of overcoming love.  It is a story which stands on its own legs.