From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ~Acts 17:26-27
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. ~Romans 1:25
Stories Before Christ
In the antediluvian world, the Truth of God quickly diverged into myriads of myths and legends. Our stories spoke of great heroes, usually the sons of gods, who were given virtually impossible tasks to overcome. These stories did not seek God, but seem to spit in His face with their unbelief.
But “He is not far from each one of us,” no matter the state of our heart (Acts 17:27). God determined and appointed these stories so we might seek Him. Israel knew what to look for in the Messiah, as God had chosen them as His Own. The gentiles, however, had chosen to “exchange the truth for a lie” (Rom. 1:25) In His mercy, God allowed their stories to presage His Son so that when He came, they would recognize Him.
Christ has fulfilled and redeemed these ancient stories. The heroes of the past – from the Greek Herakles to the Norse Sigurd – were pale reflections of what a hero should be. We knew we needed one; we just couldn’t picture Him yet.
Stories after Christ
When Christ came our eyes were opened, and our stories reflect this. Great deeds were no longer enough for our heroes. Rather, a hero’s deeds were judged upon one thing: whether he saved the beloved.
This is not to say love wasn’t a factor before Christ. People are people, made in the image of a loving God. And our post-Christ hero doesn’t always treat the beloved well. People are people, fallen and weak. However, our stories after Christ are woven with the themes of His life: Love and Redemption.
Stories Now
And then, a 300 year blip in our story-telling occurs. During the Age of Enlightenment, men’s hearts were once again hardened. The burden of tradition had obscured the Grace of the Cross, and western society began to pull away from God. However, like all other eras, this time was determined and appointed by God.
But our stories were still filled with Christ! From the 1650s to the 1980s, the bulk of our stories featured perfect lovers whose purpose was to save the beloved. In His mercy, God used these stories as He used the ancient ones: to remind us of His saving Grace, and to show us the way back to Him.
We are currently seeing a shift in our story-telling. The beloveds are shunning their lovers, writing them out of their stories completely. How God’s heart must break at the hardness of His Beloved’s heart. And yet, He is not far from each one of us. He will redeem these stories, too.
