Once Upon a Time and the Gospel!

For those of you who don't watch the TV show, Once Upon a Time, this may not make sense. For those of you who do, bear with me. I usually don't see the Gospel in everything, but there are sometimes that it just leaps out at me. I love Once Upon a Time. I love Fairy tales to begin with, but I also think the writers of the show are incredibly talented and have the ability to keep track of multiple storylines and somehow make them all interesting and connected with each other. But I digress.

Let's think about the main story plot:  A group of people live in a wonderful world filled with wonder, magic, true love, and happy endings.  One day an evil queen puts a curse on the land and instantly these people are transported to another land where there is no magic, no true love, and no happy endings. Worse, they are trapped there with no way to escape and no way to return to their world. Even WORSE, the curse has erased their memories of this magical place and turned their lives into monotonous, mundane existences. 

Then comes the promised one, the one who was prophesied to come and break the curse. She is the only one who can break the curse and set them free so they can remember where they came from and be able to get back. She does so, and another portal is opened between the worlds, but another evil spell is cast keeping the people from it. Yet, they do remember their old world filled with magic and happy endings. They remember who they are and their place in that world and they now devote themselves to trying to find a way to get there.

Okay. See where I'm going with this?  We are all made of heavenly material, created by God. We have eternity and heaven imprinted on our spirits. Heaven is a kingdom where God rules. It is a place of wonder and beauty and true love, and a place where dreams come true.  Yet a curse was cast and we now live in a world that seems flat and boring by comparison. We don't remember who we are and where we come from. We only know that something is terribly wrong and things are not as they should be. Then the Savior comes, the promised one, and he breaks the curse (by His death on the cross and resurrection)  Jesus opens the portal between earth and heaven and shows us the way home. But we can't go yet. The original curse still holds many people captive and it is our job to open their eyes, tell  them the Savior has come, and show them the way home.

Cool, huh? I suppose that's why I love Fairy Tales and movies like Narnia so much!  There is another world beyond this one. It's beautiful and wonderful beyond our wildest imaginations! It's filled with love and wonder and miracles and a place where all our dreams come true. There are castles and knights and adventures! Battles between good and evil. Everything you ever hoped for in this world is there. Its' real! Even people who don't believe in God know something is wrong with this world. They know that death and sorrow and agony are not right.  Something has gone terribly wrong. We are cursed, but God has lifted that curse and shown us the portal home. The portal is Jesus. Our home is Heaven. So, let's be about our work and wake up as many people as we can and tell them Heaven exists and we know the way!