December 24: Marley and Jesus
Establish the Truth
“Marley was dead, to begin with…
Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail…
Permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail…
There is no doubt that Marley was dead…
This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.” (A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, 1843)
I pressed ‘Stop’ and replayed the first page of the audiobook. Did Dickens really just tell us four times in the first page of his almost 200-year-old book that Marley was dead? Yep. And then he explains his redundancy. If we haven’t established the fact of Marley’s death, then the rest of the story will not have the intended wonderful outcome.
Every year at Christmas, we read the same passages of scripture and expound on them. The beautiful truths of Christmas never get old. We reread them each December, as well as periodically throughout the year. Our omnipresent God stayed in heaven, yet at the same time came to earth, taking on human flesh.
To begin with, Jesus is God.
Jesus Christ is as alive as you and me.
Permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Jesus Christ is as alive as you and me.
There’s no doubt that Jesus is alive.
This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the truths related in Scripture.
Photo by Elin Melaas on Unsplash