Lean in:
Start at the beginning.
And not Gabriel and Mary or even Elizabeth, but the real beginning
In the beginning God created.
Because the story, our story, the salvation redemption story, the Christmas story, it all starts there.
Think about John's gospel: In the beginning was the word.
Jesus was in the beginning and he became in another beginning.
It's not too late to go back to the beginning this advent.
Ann Voskamp is turning my Christmas upside down with her book, The Greatest Gift. John Piper starts Good News of Great Joy in Luke.
But Ann starts where we all start: Genesis.
Is that crazy?
Today is day three of Advent, soI read,
The woman... Saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some of the fruit to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they his from The Lord God among the trees. Then The Lord God called to the man, Where are you? Genesis 3:6-9 (NLT I think)
Did you see it?
Right from the start, we have the reason for the one who is coming.
Writes Ann, "And that moment when your heart turns to His heart - already turned to you? The fall turns into a falling into His everlasting arms"
Arms wrapped in swaddling cloths and later, stretched out on the cross.
We were created for His joy and then Jesus came as man for ours.
But it all starts in the beginning. Don't miss it this Christmas.
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