Circuit Thoughts

The gifts have been unwrapped while the leftovers are wrap-ped. Hopefully, many of you went to service this past Sunday morning even though it was Christmas Day. (I also hope you all make the next Sunday, even if you stayed up to watch the ball drop.) So how do we finish a years’ worth of articles? By going back to the beginning.

John starts his Gospel with “In the beginning was the word…” Thus, we end the year remembering how it all began.

And as we look at the beginning, I hope we realize that God has had a plan throughout all of history. From the moment Adam and Eve decided they wanted to “be gods” rather than be with God, God has had a plan for our redemption and salvation.

But like any good plan, there had to be preparation. Rules had to be written, movements practiced. Leaders had to be chosen and foundations laid down. As we peruse the Old Testament, we see God working to bring His plan to fruition.

First, he cleans the place up. So, after Adam and Eve, we meet Noah. Then he chooses a group to start the journey, Abraham’s family. Then we move through the kids and end up in Egypt, Moses. After that we travel through the wilderness and then start conquering the Promised Land. Thousands of years and millions of souls are invested in this plan, and this is only the beginning.

After many conflicts, doubts, rebellions and such, a baby is born. This baby just happens to be the Son of God. All part of the plan. Only, now the plan takes a new turn.

As I see it, the journey the Hebrew nation made in all that history, pointed to Christ. Prophecies that date back to before Abraham point to this newborn babe, the light of the world. After Christ is born, the plan kicks into overdrive. It’s not just about the redemption of a select people, this is about the redemption of the world.

The plan had always been about saving the world. God has always been at work calling us back to him. Every act of the Old Testament was (in my humble opinion) the laying down of building blocks for Christ’s birth.

Every mythology has stories about godly visitations that end up in chaos and death. But God was not interested in just visiting. God’s only interest is to be with us, and He made sure it would be orderly. Laws were written, practices put in place, a baby is born and hope springs up.

So, at the end of our Christmas journey, we see the beginning of something even more wonderful and new. We see the plan that has been in play the whole time has been about bringing us back into God’s presence.

As we start this New Year, I pray that you will start taking hold of God’s plan and enter into His presence. I pray that you will become part of the Kingdom. If you are already a child of God, then I pray that in the coming year you introduce God to everyone you can.

Shalom my friends.

See you in church.