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Note: You are receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly newsletter.
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Here's a thought, a quote, and a resource I wanted to share with you this Thursday.
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Hebrews 2:10-12 really hits home: “That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying: ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will sing hymns to you in the congregation.’”
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Jesus is God, but he also chose to become human and call us brothers and sisters. He’s not ashamed to do so. He’s taken his place in the congregation, not above us but among us.
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I’ve known this as long as I can remember, but it seems even more amazing in this year of polarization and pandemic. Jesus takes his place among us. He knows what we’re going through. He cares. He entered this world of pain and heartbreak.
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Jesus becoming one of us seems like extra good news this year. What a Savior.
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His face
pressed against
her breast.
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So this
is what he looks like.
The one the prophets spoke of.
The one the angel offered.
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Her eyes catch Joseph’s gaze.
Mary whispers,
‘He looks like us!’
‘YHWH looks like us.’
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His turned-up nose
now hunting for milk.
With trembling fingers
she does her best
to flick open the mouth of God.
Pulling his head in
closer to her chest.
Closer to her heart.
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In this way,
God receives his first meal.
In a stranger’s home.
From the body
of a teenage Galilean.
Swallowing and slurping
like a hungry lamb.
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The memory of every event
leading up to this moment
courses through her body.
Tears of relief
cross her olive cheeks
and fall upon her newborn.
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As Joseph now
strokes her brow,
she closes her eyes,
looks up to the heavens,
and catches herself
giving thanks to God
...who now lays in her arms.
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One of the books that’s consistently made the lists of best books of 2020 is Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund. It deserves the hype. I believe this book will become a classic that will be read for decades to come.
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The ebook version is on sale right now on Kindle and Barnes and Noble. I can’t think of a better book to read to end the year.
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Thanks for reading! Have a blessed Christmas.
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