The drama of redemption is thus a great twofold odyssey, in which humanity, along with the rest of creation, loses its way and finds its way home only because God leaves home in order to bring everyone back. The Scriptures depict a covenantal drama moved forward by the love of God. It is a drama in which Jesus recapitulates the history of Israel and enacts her future in an unexpected, new way. The drama is structured around the pattern of “return” (from exile) and “rebuilding” (the Temple). “Return” and “rebuilding” are not simply past moments in the history of Israel but moments – movements, missions – in the ongoing drama of redemption. Doctrine preserves the dynamic thrust by drawing us into the action of what God is doing in Jesus Christ. The church, as restored temple of God and first fruits of the new creation, is implicated in the theo-dramatic action. “Now” is our scene. How shall we play it?
Kevin Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology, p. 55-56