We were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
Fantasy, appeal to the imagination, fiction stories--these have a place in life, especially for children. Poets, authors, and composers provide the fictional wherewithal in and through the various media. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) uses the "Nutcracker Suite," a ballet, to tell the story of a little girl and her magical Christmas gift, a nutcracker, that comes to life and takes her on an adventurous trip to the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of the Sugarplum Fairy.
Fantasy, while appropriate in the field of art and entertainment, is out of place in religion if the idea is to deny that the truths of the Christian faith are based on historical facts. Already in apostolic times some people claimed that the teachings of Christianity were myths and fables. Therefore Saint Peter declares, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:16). He goes on to say that he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry, especially eyewitnesses of His revealed glory as God's Son.
Jesus Christ is for real. He, the Son of the Highest, became incarnate and lived as a true human being among people. For this we have the back-up testimony of Saint John, who writes that the disciples saw Him with their eyes and touched Him with their hands. God's Son truly became flesh, born of the virgin Mary. He truly suffered under the historic figure, Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, was buried, and on the third day rose again.
Jesus Christ is not make-believe. The beautiful Christmas story of His birth is no myth. His deeds of love, many of them done with miraculous power, are not adventure stories. The angels who announced His resurrection are not sugarplum fairies. While we enjoy the music and narrative of the "Nutcracker Suite" and other masterpieces, we bear in mind that the story of Jesus and His love is the truth and that, believing in Him, we are saved.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God, for the truth revealed to me in Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior. O Holy Spirit, keep me in the faith. Amen.
(Devotions from "With Jesus Every Day" copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 3-5 Acts 27:1-26
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