Myth Become History
The Gospel of John tells of the coming of Jesus in an unusual way. John writes:
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity. The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world… The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth. —John 1:1-5; 9
Jesus is the eternal one who has been with the Father since the beginning. He is not merely a human who was born into history; he is actually the “source of life” and the glory of God. In this sermon clip, Greg connects the story of Jesus’ birth with the deep longings, the inner yearnings of our heart, for something that is greater than this world. He illustrates this by demonstrating that the great legends and myths from a variety of cultures point to Jesus. While today we often equate myths with something that is not true, in fact they often tap into very deep realities. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, two experts on mythology and on Christianity, spoke of the coming of Christ as the myth that became history. Christ became the very thing the greatest mythological stories have pointed to.
If you are interested in the entire sermon, it can be viewed here.