A Story Worth Listening To
Chapter 1 — The Grandfather Gospels
The children loved mornings like this—cold mornings, when the porch was quiet, and the world seemed to hold its breath. They gathered without being called, pulling close not because they had to, but because this was where they wanted to be. With their grandfather.
Elias Gray Hawk sat in his chair with his hands resting easily, watching the frost cling to the porch rail. He had never named himself a teacher, yet the children knew his place in their lives. When questions lingered too long, when something felt heavy or confusing, they came to him—not for quick answers, but for steadiness.
Behind them, Bethany moved quietly through the house. The children knew their grandmother’s presence as surely as they knew his. When she stepped outside and set warm mugs on the small table, she rested her hand on Elias’s shoulder for a moment—the kind of touch that comes only from a long-shared life—then stepped back and listened with them.
Elias waited. He always did.
Noah leaned against the porch post, thoughtful. Maya sat close by, attentive, her eyes taking everything in. Little Eli traced the edge of frost with his finger, quiet and content.
Finally, Elias spoke.
“Most families,” he said gently, “carry their stories by telling them.” The children looked up. “For a long time, that’s how people remembered what mattered—by speaking it, listening carefully, and passing it on.”
Eli nodded slowly. That made sense.
“But some stories,” Elias continued, resting his hand on the worn Bible in his lap, “are too important to trust only to memory.”
He opened it slowly. “The life of Jesus mattered so much that God made sure it was written down—not once, but more than once. Different voices. Different witnesses. All telling the same true story.”
He read aloud:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account… so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
— Luke 1:1–4
Eli squinted thoughtfully. “Why didn’t they just tell it,” he asked, “like other stories?”
Elias smiled. “Because this one wasn’t just for one family—or one generation.”
Maya spoke softly. “It was for everyone.”
“Yes,” Elias said. “And for people who would come much later.”
Noah shifted his weight. “So we’d know it was true.”
“So you wouldn’t have to guess,” Elias replied.
He closed the Bible partway—not finished, just pausing. “There are four of these stories,” he said. “Not because one wasn’t enough, but because the truth was too big for a single voice.”
“Four?” Eli asked.
“Yes,” Elias said. “Matthew wrote for people watching for God’s promises to be kept. Mark told it plainly and quickly—the way someone does when the truth matters more than the details. Luke listened carefully to many witnesses, so no one would be left wondering. And John…”
He paused.
“What about John?” Maya asked.
“John wrote so you would believe,” Elias said, “and so you’d know that Jesus wasn’t just someone who lived, but the One who gives life.”
Noah was quiet for a moment. “So they’re all the same story.”
“The same truth,” Elias said. “Seen from different places.”
Bethany spoke then, her voice steady and sure. “It takes more than one window to let in the light.”
By then, the frost was beginning to melt, the sun reaching the steps. No one hurried to leave.
Some stories invite you to listen. Others invite you to live differently. This one does both.
Many stories are passed down by word of mouth—and rightly so. But the story of Jesus was so important that God inspired multiple witnesses to carefully and faithfully write it down. The Gospels are not legends. They are testimonies. They exist so we can know Jesus with confidence, not confusion.
This series begins there.
We’re glad you’re here.
This has been A Story Worth Listening To, from The Grandfather Gospel Series by The Cardinal and the Dove.
