The Big God Story. The Jesus Story. Our Story.
Merry Christmas, GPBC! Tis the season to celebrate that Jesus has come! (Well, all seasons are that season, but you get what I mean)
Advent always takes me back to that Garden of Eden moment in Genesis where the great chasm in our relationship with God began because of our sin. Advent draws me to reflect on the big God story.
As the fall happened, God had a plan to free us. The rescue mission was in place. The great plan to liberate us rebels and sinners was implemented, and God began His great pursuit to save the world.
The Big God Story could be summed up by a story I recently heard from our brother Rees Bettinger. In a conversation Rees was having with a friend that is not a believer, Rees explained the beauty in what makes Jesus so amazing. Rees told his friend, “The amazing thing about Jesus is that He was at the mountain top and saw us drowning in an ocean of our own sin and jumped off that mountain top to dive into the ocean to rescue us and bring us to the mountain top with him.”
First off…WOW!!!
That is what we remember on Christmas morning; that Jesus jumped into our world in the form of a vulnerable baby to rescue us and to free us; obeying the will of God the Father to the point of death on a cross for our sins, to raise from the grave three days later to free us into the loving arms of God forever. That is the story of Jesus.
Now to our story. One of the visions for GPBC in 2023 will focus on taking The Big God Story, the story of Jesus, and our story into our homes, neighborhoods, city, and world. As we focus on the story of Jesus this Christmas, spend time, and reflect on how the story of Jesus has changed your story. How has Jesus rescued you? In what ways has Jesus freed you and your story? Share these stories with loved ones this Advent season and let us all come and behold the Savior of the world.
Merry Christmas!