REFLECTIONS

The Rest of the Story

Who could ever forget the inimitable voice of Paul Harvey. His newscasts were unmatched, but perhaps most remembered are his Rest of the Story stories. The stories captivated his audience with unique inflections, and immaculate pauses. Though not one of those, his most loved and enduring story may be The Man and the Birds.[1]

It is about a man who simply couldn’t make sense of the Christmas story. He just couldn’t grasp the idea that God would come into the world in human form. And because he didn’t want to be hypocritical, he chose to stay home from the Christmas Eve service. That’s when his attention was drawn to a flock of birds in search of shelter from the snowstorm outside. The man tried to guide the birds to shelter, but his efforts only frightened them away. Finally, it came to him that the only way to get the birds to follow him would be for him to become one of them. Just then in the distance, the man heard the church bells ring. And—the man…

Well, Paul Harvey might say, “Then—then he understood the rest—of the story.”

Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something

to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Merry Christmas,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org.

[1]Link to Paul Harvey’s story:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z4Xr6QCTdI

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