Pathways Students we will not be meeting tonight but please take some time to review the Christmas devotional below.
A God of Promises (ROOTED)
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Christmas is supposed to be a joyful season where Jesus is exalted. Unfortunately, the season can be a painful, stressful, and lonely time for many. From disappointment in our relationships with family and friends to experiencing sickness and death, the holidays can subtly highlight the brokenness of our world and our lives. But Christmas reminds us that we can take comfort and find hope in a Savior – a Savior God promised us from the very beginning.
All the brokenness that we experience and feel can be traced back to Eden. In the garden, when sin entered the world, God was there. Immediately after darkness broke in, God made a promise to one day overcome it. Before addressing Adam and Eve, God offered a few words to the serpent who tempted them: “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This is not describing a battle between humans and snakes; it is a whisper of a Savior.
We see and feel the traces of sin everywhere. Sin separates us from who we are meant to be; sin separates us from other people; and worst of all, sin separates us from God. Sin is the problem and the serpent wants us to continue in it forever. As we battle with sin and Satan, we need victory because – in case you haven’t noticed – we cannot save ourselves; that’s what Christmas is all about.
Jesus was born into the world to die. As we learn in Genesis 3, from the seed of Adam and Eve will come a Messiah who will bruise the head of the serpent as the serpent bruises His heel. From the offspring of Adam and Eve, Jesus came to crush sin and Satan as He was bruised on the cross. He turned the prophecy from Genesis 3 into a reality. Jesus came to give us comfort and hope, not just in His birth but in His death.
Christmas can be a difficult time, especially if you are dealing with the heartaches of sin and darkness both in others and yourself. When you spend time with friends and family, it can feel like things will never get better. When you reflect on the year, you may feel like a failure, burned out, or maybe drifting deeper into sin. Christmas is not God telling us to toughen up, try harder, or be better, but to remember that God himself came down to earth to do all that heavy lifting for us. God saw our sin and the sins of the world and sent Jesus to save, forgive, and be victorious. No matter what we are going through this Christmas, we can rest and rejoice in Jesus.
Questions for Further Reflection
What areas of brokenness are highlighted for you this holiday season?
What parts of your life seem beyond rescue?
How can you intentionally remember, rest, and rejoice, that there is nothing so dark that Jesus can’t and hasn’t already overcome?
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for Jesus, that from the beginning you knew we needed a Savior to rescue us from our sin. Help us to remember Jesus during this season and to rest and rejoice in what He has done for us.
