Pocket Thoughts - 12/6/24

Special Advent Edition

God * has sent His Messiah through the lineage of Abraham and David * fulfills all prophecy and every promise * is Immanuel – “God with us.”

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“God promised that there would be an offspring of the woman who would be born to defeat Satan. Adam and Eve did not know it, but the promised offspring would be Jesus Christ. The serpent would wound, but he would not have victory over Christ. Jesus would endure the pain of the cross, but even His death would not be final. When Christ died on the cross, it seemed as if the devil had won and hope was lost, but even though Satan bruised the Savior’s heel, the wounds left by the serpent would be the very thing that would crush him under the feet of Jesus. Christ is not defeated in His death but is victorious over the power of sin and death in His resurrection. The hope of Christmas is not just a baby born in a manger – it is the arrival of the awaited offspring who was born to die so that sinners could become children of God.” – The Daily Grace Co. - Waiting for the Savior

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“Something new. When it comes to the lives and hearts of God’s people, God is always up to something new. Though we love to look for signs or subtle shifts in circumstance, though it’s such a gift to sense God’s presence and receive insight from His Word, He’s working even when we can’t see Him, feel Him, or sense Him. He’s always working, continually listening to our prayers and faithfully interceding for us – orchestrating circumstances that, when displayed in all their fullness, will reveal God’s fatherly heart for His children, will unveil His meticulous attention to detail, and will leave us breathless. All of heaven is for us. Imagine.” – Susie Larson – Prepare Him Room

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“The family tree of Christ startlingly notes not one woman but four. Four broken women – women who felt like outsiders, like has-beens, like never-beens. Women who were weary of being taken advantage of, of being unnoticed and uncherished and unappreciated; women who didn’t fit in, who didn’t know how to keep going, what to believe, where to go – women who had thought about giving up. And Jesus claims exactly these who are wandering and wondering and wounded and worn out as His. He grafts you into His line and His story and His heart, and He gives you His name, His lineage, His righteousness. He graces you with plain grace. Is there a greater gift you could want or need or have?” – Ann Voskamp – The Greatest Gift

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“God would take on human flesh and invade His sin-broken world with His wisdom, power, glory, and grace. But He wouldn’t descend to a palace. Instead, the Lord Almighty, the Creator, the sovereign King over all things would humble Himself and take on the form of servant; He would live on our behalf the life we could have never lived, He would willingly die the death that you and I deserve to die, and He would rise from His tomb as the conqueror of sin and death. He would suffer every single day of His life so that He could, with His life, give grace to rebels, extend love to those who would deny His existence, impart wisdom to those who think they know better, and extend forgiveness to everyone who seeks Him. His coming stands as an affirmation that He will not relent, He will not be satisfied until sin and suffering are no more and we are like Him, dwelling with Him in unity, peace, and harmony forever and ever.” – Paul David Tripp – Come Let Us Adore Him

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Lord, Your family tree is literally littered by sinful people in desperate need of a Savior. In Your grace, You have grafted me in. You have condescended to walk with humanity by becoming humanity – fully man and yet fully God, conquering every enemy of my soul – God on earth so that I could be Yours in heaven - for eternity. The promise of Your coming began with a whisper in the beginning of time, growing louder with each passing century until Messiah was born – and freedom walked the earth for all who would believe. Announced by wonder, the waiting was over. Redemption rolled out in Your birth, life, sacrifice, and death-crushing resurrection. Hope was birthed in a desert hamlet. And we are forever changed. In Your beautiful Name, dear Jesus, amen.

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“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” – Matthew 1:18-23