God”s Great Story

By Ethan Magness

There is a great story to be told that the world needs to hear. It is a story of rebellion and loss, chaos and destruction, punishment and fear. It is a story of rescue and restoration, order and repair, forgiveness and hope. It is a story of great redemption purchased at great cost. It is the story of great sacrifice because of a great love. This is the story of God and all people and this is the story the world needs to hear.

There is a great story to be told that the church needs to remember. It is a story of rebellion and loss, chaos and destruction, punishment and fear. It is a story of rescue and restoration, order and repair, forgiveness and hope. It is a story of great redemption purchased at great cost. It is the story of great sacrifice because of a great love. This is the story of God and all people and this is the story the church needs to remember.

The climax of this great saga is so stark that it cannot be ignored. One innocent man, who was the very living God, chose to die that all guilty people may have the chance to live. And then, by the power of God, this dead man who was God rose to life again and demonstrated that the tide had turned, the plot had shifted, the new day was dawning. Jesus Christ, once dead and now alive, is the firstfruits that prove the harvest is coming, Jesus, now alive, is the demonstration that God”s promise to rescue and repair, to forgive and redeem, is coming true.

This is the story that must be told and this is why we share this meal””that the story is never forgotten by God”s people and that our mouths never stop declaring the salvation of our God. We eat this meal to remember Jesus” death, to proclaim his resurrection, and to await that day when all is complete and God”s great story is brought to its final glorious conclusion.

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Ethan Magness is pastor of spiritual formation with Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland.