Christmas Eve message at First Christian Church Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

All stories eventually read The End

But when one volume is finished, another begins.

With the chance for a heart of wisdom in which to live

Have you been moved to take a step in learning to give?

What the Grinch thought he wanted was all of the stuff.

“If I get it all,” he thought, “finally I’ll have enough!”

Yet despite his achievements, his life seemed a bore,

So he turned elsewhere, to a satisfaction that offered much more.

For all the townspeoples' work that had been done,

How many toys were left? Well, none—

The Grinch had gone and grinched all their things,

But even without, the Whos chose to sing.

With a heart transformed from two sizes too small,

The Grinch’s story proves there’s hope for all.

And if he can accept the truth of Christmas within,

What do you think of the Christmas story—dear kids, women, and men?

As a community of faith, we want our rallying point to be the work of Jesus. The cool part is that none of our reasons for belonging to FIRST are the same. We all have different backgrounds, histories, and events that led us to where we are at today. Join us as we lean into sharing some faith stories to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of our church.

The best stories are the ones that we experienced first-hand. It’s easier for us to tell a story about what happened to us then it is to recount the events of someone else’s life. Plus, our stories get even better when they are about something impactful. So, shouldn’t the story of our faith be shared with great passion and excitement? This week we will hear a story of life-change as it lays out an example for how each of us can prepare to share our journey of faith.

If someone has ever told you about a life changing event, there’s a good chance they told you the story of what happen and not just the baseline facts. We share the story of the drive to the hospital for the child that was born or the time they went to that concert and got pulled up on stage. Why is that? Well, it’s because stories matter and details make stories stronger. On Sunday we will turn the page to revealing the power of stories, just like the ones Jesus told.

Our world is full of stories. From novels to movies to comics, stories have the ability to stir different emotions within us. Have you ever noticed every story follows a similar outline? There’s a setting, a problem, a climax, and a resolution. What if the best way to view the Bible is not so much of a bunch of little stories put together, but rather one big story with a central point?

"One and done" and "One hit wonder" are phrases that signify a great impact for a moment or a season. Often times when we hear this we think of a band who had only one major hit song or a team who wins a championship, never to win it again. Lucky for us, the church is not a "one hit wonder" and consistently does good for people and their communities. Are you in?