Humble Beginnings Advent 2020 || In introducing the gospel of Christ, Luke first describes two appearances from the angel Gabriel; one to Zechariah and the other to Mary. As we will see, though the messages are both delivered by Gabriel, sent by God, and even contained similar content – that they’d both respectfully parent a son that was miraculously conceived – their responses couldn’t have been more opposite from the other. As we continue to look at the Humble Beginnings of Christ this week we learn the importance of a Humble Response to His Advent(s).

Humble Beginnings Advent 2020 || Mark’s favorite title to use for Jesus is the Son of Man. A reminder that Emmanuel, God with us, is not only fully God but fully man. And in Mark’s gospel, we see the incredible truth that Jesus, the Son of Man, ‘came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ In the opening 2 chapters of Mark, we see this beautiful truth displayed when Jesus ate with sinners. Jesus invites us to the table to feast with Him. And He calls us to extend this same invitation to our neighbors.

Humble Beginnings Advent 2020 || Jesus is the most dynamic man ever born. Fully God and fully man, this specific time and place was chosen for the Word to be born into the world. God was not careless in choosing this family, and even the details of Jesus’s lineage (on both sides) provide deep pictures of His redemptive plan throughout history. Come see that the Lord is good—that He is willing to enter in to the lowliest of places and deliver redemption and Joy!

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || Jesus came into the world preaching an upside-down kingdom that doesn’t make sense—and now he invites us to live in it. Our call? To love people in ways that seem totally backwards by this world’s standards.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || Our God is so magnificent and dynamic that our minds can hardly grasp the fullness of His character—Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, Redeemer, and Savior. But here we see Him take on yet another role: He is a foot-washer. We see in this text that the Lord of the Universe is intent to humble himself, to enter our world and take on the filth of our sin—and He does so armed with the power and grace to make even our dirtiest parts clean. Jesus instructs us to imitate His love and care for one another with the same humility He displays here. Praise Him, the Lord who makes all things new!

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || After the crowds surround him in triumphal anticipation Jesus continues to focus on the glory of God through the salvation of his people. The question for us – how have we been invited to take part in his radical mission?

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In this passage, Jesus enters triumphantly into Jerusalem, lauded by the people. It's worth considering: If we had been among those in that crowd, why might we have been there? What would our own posture have been towards the King of Israel?

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || In the last week of His life, as Jewish leaders actively try to kill Him and a disciple tries to steal from Him, Jesus affirms a friend (Mary) who values Him over all things. This text also reminds us our lives are to be a fragrant aroma pointing others to Jesus.

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || An undeniable truth that we spend much of our lives hiding from (and, with futility, labor to stave off the thought of) is this: Someday we will die. As Christians, we need not fear this truth, nor hide from it. In this text we see Jesus displaying His absolute authority over life and death. We see that in living and in dying we have one purpose—to glorify God. It is a joyous reality that He is the God of life and our hope is secure in Him!

That You May Believe | The Gospel of John || Jesus performs many signs, and according to the book of John, all for one purpose—that we may believe that He is the Messiah. In John 11 He declares He is the resurrection and the life and the signs He performs demonstrate the truth of this statement. So the question He asked Martha is the same for us; do you believe?