We all like stories ...

Every night before the kids go to bed, they love to hear stories. Whether it is a story I create as we go or something they read, their little eyes glow with mystery and their expressions reveal their excitement to know "what happens nexy?". Over the past several decades, the Hollywood scene has painted "story" for us through epics such as Star Wars, Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and now Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia.

I remember having a conversation with a friend when Episdoe III came out earlier this year. We left the movie theater and I said, "Paul, all of my sequels are finsihed." I felt a little disappointment that I left that theater without the hope and excitement to know "what happens next". Today on the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4413668.stm), there is this article that talks about Harry Potter vs. Chronciles of Narnia. The question the writer proposes is will Harry Potter be something that lasts or will it fade in the wake of this "new" Narnia series? As I read the article, I could not help but notice the fact that we all long for stories. There is something deep inside of us that finds peace in knowing there is a beginning, ending, and present experience defined by both.

Now enter the season of Advent. The church calendar leads us now into a time of anticipation of the coming of Christ through the virgin birth. I am preaching over the "Skeptics of Christmas" starting next week and I think that part of the beauty of this season of Advent is that we relive the first who saw the infant Christ again, again, and again. If you are a Christian, you know that you question and ask yourself, "Is this real?" "Did God really become man?" "Did the virgin birth actually happen or is this all a hoax?" Valid questions. Questions God can handle. Questions God has handled through the sending His Son to dwell among us. We are forgetful people and need to be regulalry reminded of the severity of what took place in Bethelem so long ago. Celebrating Advent in anticipation of Christ's birth is a reminder of "what happens next". Wherever you are in your understanding of or valuing of the church calendar, take time to reflect on the fact that God has come to be with us. That he knows what it is like to grow up, to hit puberty, to long for relationships, to be tempted, to die, and to be raised from death. In other words, He knows us so that we can know Him. Pause with a spirit of anticipation of what comes next.

I can't wait to see Harry Potter and the Chronciles of Narnia. I am certain that both films will prompt many a post in the "blog-o-sphere".