I wrote yesterday that God is at work behind the scenes, and this is no more evident than at this time of year when we celebrate Advent: the coming of Jesus into the world. One of the recurring themes of scripture is that of war: war between the forces of evil and the forces of good. It’s been going on since Genesis 3.

I recently read a compelling historical novel, Once Night Falls, on the Italian resistance in northern Italy during World War 2. It’s the story of a few people, ordinary people, doing what they could against the Nazi occupation.

• An overweight priest acted as courier for a bishop who was also part of the resistance
• A middle-aged playboy with an American car also was a courier
• A woman hid her Jewish friend in her attic and later poisoned the German soldiers she was forced to cook for. She died with them.
• A young Italian man with one good arm, killed a German operative amidst other errands he was running for the resistance. He helped his Jewish fiancé out of the country into Switzerland, while he stayed behind to fight

God has set his resistance movement in motion, a movement that defeated Satan at the cross and will ultimately defeat all evil (read Revelation: God wins!). Along the way, he recruited people for this movement. Zechariah and Elizabeth to beget John the Baptist, Mary to bear the Christ child, Joseph to protect her, and on it goes.

Someone has written:

Jesus has come to undo the consequences of evil and to establish the kingdom of God.  I know that, even though Jesus is calling the whole world, he is beckoning me in a special way to respond to that call to work for the kingdom.

How will I respond?

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1.38, ESV)

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4.18 – 20, ESV)