Story

There were many whose hearts told them that they should begin to tell the secret runes, the word of God, the famous feats that the powerful Christ accomplished in words and in deeds among human beings. There were many of the wise who wanted to praise the teaching of Christ, the holy Word of God, and wanted to write a bright-shining book with their own hands, telling how the sons of men should carry out His commands.
Among all these, however, there were only four who had the power of God, help from Heaven, the Holy Spirit, the strength from Christ to do it. They were chosen. They alone were to write down the evangelium in a book, and to write down the commands of God, the holy Heavenly word. No one else among the heroic sons of men was to attempt it, since these four had been picked by the power of God: Matthew and Mark, Luke and John were their names. They were dear to God, worthy of the work.
The ruling God had placed the Holy Spirit firmly in the heroes' hearts, together with many a wise word, as well as a devout attitude and a powerful mind, so that they could lift up their holy voices to chant God's spell. There is nothing like it in words anywhere in this world!

(Heliand, 3-4)

Early in the ninth century an unknown poet desired to tell a Story. One the poet knew to be true and was passionate to be known among the people of Saxony - not a story to be recited in church, but a tale to be told in the medieval mead hall, where other heroic verses were sung. The poet "rewrote and reimagined the events and words of the gospel as if they had taken place and been spoken in his own country and time" (Murphy)

An illustration of the power of the Story - or the wonder of God's spell (gospel) as we realize the connection to our own narrative.