Lean in to Hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV).
Turning My Page: Lean In To Hope
Nativity displays beneath the canvas of night.
Where a mother sings, and chosen father dreams.
A candle, lit by God, twinkles in the heavens and
announces salvation has arrived.
And hope, swaddled in tender flesh,
sucks his thumb.
The shepherd
and the wise lean in, to wonder, are
you my king?
And I, an offspring of His coming,
testify 2,000 years later, He is
Emmanuel. God With Us, leaning
in to shape my spirit.
Turning Your Page
Have you ever contemplated the vast effect of those first moments with Jesus? Many lives have been changed over the centuries because one baby was born. Two thousand years later, men and women are still willing to lay down their lives for this child gifted by God to redeem us. Read Luke 1-2:40.
- Take about ten minutes to contemplate the sights and sounds of the nativity.
- Which person do you identify with most?
- Do you have questions for Jesus?
- What images and pictures of His arrival catch your attention?
- Try to use your senses to write a description or poem interacting with aspects of the nativity.
- How has your life been changed by the birth of Jesus?
- Leave a link to your poem in the comments or pingback to this post: Lean In To Hope
Jesus, I am in awe of your birth. You are a God I often want to make distant, and yet you took on my struggles. I too can endure sorrow upon sorrow because you love me and are with me and I find joy in this life because my hope firmly placed in you. Amen
Like many others, I’m always struck by the humble setting of the birth of Jesus. King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet he was born in poverty. But love can overcome the circumstances of our birth and through His obedience, the child grew in knowledge, faith, and courage to complete His Father’s plan. The other circumstance of His birth is the presence of the shepherds (the first visitors) at the manger. Shepherds were the lowest dregs of society, but they were chosen to be first at the birth of the King. What irony–what love–what a promise that although none of us are worthy, we are all loved beyond measure.
Kind of breathtaking the way God loves us. God loves flipping our sin-warped expectations on their head and coming to us in brilliant quiet. Thank you so much for turning the page with me and Merry Christmas friend.
I love it that God Himself was willing to become a tiny baby who needed to be taken care of. He subjected Himself to what we all face growing up, and He never once sinned. His perfect love was seen in His perfect life, and the cross is a perfect demonstration of that love. Merry Christmas! So grateful we always have hope in Him.
Amen Katy! Merry Christmas to you too.