Once Upon a Time

Have you noticed that almost all fairy tales follow a very similar plot? The protagonist falls into some hopeless situation or curse on account of evil trickery and deception. The stories would end there if not for the hero, the knight in shining armor. The brave one who will stop at nothing to rescue the princess and break the curse. As you know, the curse is always broken; evil always loses. Perhaps though we have grown weary of these stories living in a pragmatic culture that has lost its sense of wonder. Meetings and to-do lists have crowded out the magic in our lives and I’m worried we have forgotten that it’s real. Magic that is, and curses, deception, bravery, and sacrifice.

I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a prince and princess who lived in the most beautiful garden in the world. They were happy, perfectly happy until one day an evil serpent tricked the princess into disobeying her King and upon doing so a curse was put upon the land. For thousands of years the land and everything in it was befallen to this horrible curse. The people rejected the King, fought one another and slowly reduced the world to an unknown wasteland. Prophecy foretold of a brave and suffering servant who would once for all free the land of this curse but as the years passed hope began to fade. Hope was not lost though and when the appointed time arrived, hope was born. The long awaiting savior had come but many, hardened by their bitterness, refused to believe he was the one they had all been waiting for. The wicked didn’t regard him and failed to realize they had become the very evil that brought the curse on them so many years ago. “Crucify him” They shouted and crucify him they did. Their savior, the lifter of the curse was put to death by their own hands. Darkness fell over the land and for 3 days all was thought to be lost. Did their freedom from evil die with the savior?

You have no doubt heard the story that I tell but perhaps never considered it a fairy tale. That is precisely why fairy tales are so important for us today. They enchant us above our otherwise mundane existence and remind us that the supernatural does exist. They never let us lose our sense of wonder, our hope of one day being rescued from all our troubles, our longing for the return of the King and our desire for a happy ending.

There is more to the story I told. After three days the crucified savior took up again the life that he laid down for his people. In awaking to new life he not only broke the curse but defeated evil and death. He fulfilled the prophecy and freed us from our prison of hopelessness. This is the first and greatest fairytale ever written, the only difference being this story is true and it all came true. Dear reader, if you would simply believe in and cling to the savior who broke the curse for you and cry out to our Lord Jesus for mercy who bore the weight of our guilt, your story will end like this one and every story which came after it; happily ever after.