The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens

Around the time Charles Dickens was completing his novel David Copperfield in 1849, he was quietly working on another manuscript. Unlike his serial publications that captivated Victorian England, this one was not written for the public. It was private and deeply personal. Dickens was writing The Life of Our Lord, a simple, heartfelt retelling of the life of Jesus Christ. He wrote it not for his publisher but for his children. It was, in his own words, “not to be published.” This was a father’s attempt at discipleship. It's an introduction to Jesus, crafted by one of the most gifted storytellers in history.

The work wasn’t made public until long after Dickens’ death. It was first published in 1934, following the death of Dickens’ last surviving child. That makes The Life of Our Lord the final published work of Charles Dickens.

Now, nearly a century after that delayed publication, The Life of Our Lord has been brought to life in a new way. Angel Studios—yes, the folks making The Chosen—has produced an animated film titled The King of Kings. The film features a Charles Dickens-like narrator sharing the story of Jesus with his young son. In doing so, it echoes the quiet discipleship of Dickens' book. It's a father using storytelling to point his children to Christ.

Dickens wasn’t a theologian but he knew Jesus. He used the gifts he had to make Jesus known to his children. That’s the heart of discipleship. We don’t need a publishing deal or a pulpit. We need faith, intentionality, and a willingness to use whatever God has put in our hands—whether it’s a pen, a voice, a meal, or a bedtime story—to point the next generation to Jesus, the King of Kings.

Watch the trailer for the King of Kings here: