Any secret Jane Austen admirers out there?
At the risk of having to give up my man card, I readily admit that I am a fan of Jane Austen’s romantic novels. One such novel, Mansfield Park, tells the story of Fanny Price, who endures with steadfast equanimity countless indignities and insults during her upbringing as ward of the scandal-beset Betram family of British aristocracy. Years pass before the second Bertram son, Edmund, recovers from romantic stupor and awakens to the realization that his lifelong friend and confidant is the true woman of his dreams. Fanny’s unrequited devotion to Edmund is finally returned. Austen writes, I only entreat everybody to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so, and not a week earlier, Edmund … became as anxious to marry Fanny as Fanny herself could desire. Or as Patricia Rozema’s 1999 movie script puts it, in good and perfect time ….
Austen’s words remind me of the Apostle Paul’s observation concerning Christ’s incarnation: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5, ESV). I invite you to think with me over the next few weeks about this epic good news.
The true tall tale
The words, when the fullness of time had come should remind us that salvation is in its essence a dramatic story, not a system of theological propositions. It is what singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson (an alumnus of ABHE’s Johnson University-Florida, I might add!) calls, “The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ.” I guess that’s why I love fiction so much. Non-fiction possesses great power to instruct and persuade, but fiction taps into a deeper reality, the reality of story. It not only informs, it inspires. Story resonates because story is of the essence of the world God made and the mission God is on.
We do well to remind ourselves that we are not the central characters in the gospel story. No, the Hero of this story is the God who conceives and accomplishes a reconciling redemption of creatures He created and uniquely designed for the mutual joy of personal relationship with Himself.
Contemporary appearances to the contrary, God is not frantically reacting to developments that are spinning out of control. He has a plan. He is orchestrating history’s unfolding. Everything is occurring in the fullness of time, in unimaginably perfect time and sequence. As hymn writer William Cowper expresses it, His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour.
Our destiny is upon us
History is no downward spiral, no endless karmic cycle. It has a sure trajectory. History is headed toward a final consummation (telos) in which earth and heaven will be forever reunited. We who are in Christ are people of destiny! It was a long time coming for reasons God only knows, but in the fullness of time God dispatched His long awaited Messiah and through His death and resurrection revealed that we are the heirs to the promises he made to Abraham. In the fullness of time indeed …
Fresh gleanings to fuel your leadership awareness, reflection, and conversations …
Pro-Jesus Thoughts About the Israel/Palestinian Conflict
What would a Jesus-centered view of the seemingly intractable Israel/Palestinian conflict look like? Pastor and seminary professor, David Prince’s reflections on a recent visit to Israel are worth considering.
A philosophy of suffering
Denver Seminary’s Douglas Groothuis bares his soul as he confronts the dementia of his beloved wife. Confessing that some things defy neat and practiced philosophical answers, he nevertheless reveals the power of authentic biblical lament and faithful suffering that refuses to invoke the convenient cliches of denial.