Do not overlook God’s power in the world. Don’t get suckered by the modernist, materialist mode of looking at the world which sees everything as just the sum of matter in motion. It’s easy for us to get swept away by that perspective; to live as if there were no story behind it all, or more accurately, as if there were no storyteller behind it all. That’s not the world we live in, though. We live in a world pulsing with mystery and glory and magic and narrative flourish. God rules the kingdoms of men and He is able to inexorably and hilariously work all things to His ends.

The Christmas story is a perfect example of this. The whole thing is lovely and rich with drama and tension and symbolism and instruction. We’ve seen manger scenes on too many greeting cards, and we’ve grown forgetful, but the story is potent evidence of God’s storytelling. The angelic announcement, the virgin conceiving, the faith of Joseph, the road trip late in the pregnancy, the birth in a strange city while camping out in a barn, the heavenly hosts descending and singing the first Christmas carol, a bunch of scruffy shepherds bursting in on the newborn, an astrological event, the prophecies in the temple from Anna and Simeon, a visit from foreign dignitaries, the flight to Egypt, and Herod’s wrath. All this is familiar furniture, but don’t overlook the masterful storytelling.

And that was only the beginning. The story goes on, and in the words of Sam Gamgee, the great tales never end. You’ve been wrapped up in that same story. Learn to look for God’s narrative patterns. Study the stories He has told, and do not overlook His power and artistry.

When we look at the world around us, we have the choice between seeing it as matter in motion or as story unfolding. The latter is true, and the former is false, and a right understanding of the world bolsters our faith. Look around you with the assumption that you are in a scene crafted by God, that what has come before has bearing on what will come after, that you have all you need, and that God is working His surprising and glorious will in the world.