We’ve mostly looked at one prophecy or prediction about Jesus this week, about his virgin birth and being God in the flesh (incarnate).  But Jesus fit many other predictions as well, some of them relating to his birth.

He was born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2.      But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2 ESV)

He was a refugee in Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Together, they all form one picture.

The rightful king of Israel is God himself, he’s come to earth to fulfill the promise that Abraham’s descendents would bless the entire world.  Jesus is a descendent of Abraham and King David.  Jesus did this in dying for the entire world’s sins, and reigns now over his kingdom, which is coming in its fullness.

God has come to us, when we couldn’t get to him.

God has given us the gift of grace, when we have nothing to offer but thanks.

This is most challenging to religious people, because we can become accustomed to knowing about God at a distance, and the systems and codes we put in place for this all get thrown out when God shows up in person, and Knowing About God shifts to simply Knowing God.

Challenge: How can you and/or family focus on this central meaning of Christmas?  Advent is the traditional time for the time before Christmas when Christians prepare themselves to truly enter into the story.

We’ll provide some Advent resources here you might use for you or your family:

Reminder: We have a great Christmas event coming December 14th, 2013: The Original Christmas Party.  Hope you’re coming!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - January 20, 2014

Monday - A New Idea - Reset: Goals

We’re recently started a new series called “reset”. Last week, we talked about how Jesus makes it possible to reset all of life, giving us a fresh start in life that impacts every key area. We’re going to look at many of these in depth, starting this week with how Jesus resets our goals. When my wife and I were having our first baby, we were encouraged to write birth plan. This is where you write down a plan for who’s in the room, and make choices about everything from epidurals to breastfeeding to how bright the lights should be. I know someone who works closely with an OB, and she has some wild stories about how people let some of the small choices get in the way of the big picture. In a perfect, routine childbirth, a parent’s ideal may be to have the lights just so, no pain with no drugs, and a favourite song playing at the exact moment the child is born. But when things don’t go perfectly, there are some people who forget the point, or the goal. They start to argue for their personal preferences, instead of arguing for a baby’s health. When my wife and I were writing up a birth plan, we decided to stay goal focused. The goal was to have a healthy child. All our personal preferences, hopes and dreams for the birth experience were going to be expressed, but we’d drop them in an instant if things were going wrong. That was a moment we reset our goals…to make sure they were focused on the right thing. It’s not a bad thing in life to regularly reset our goals, and ensure we’re focused on the right ones. Not just in childbirth. We can get so bogged down in day to day tasks we forget the point in our careers. Do we live to work, or work to live? I heard a TED Talk (attached) that shared the job description of a hospital janitor. It was what you’d expect – mop, clean, scrub, restock. It had nothing at all to do with hospital patients and healthcare. But some psychologists interviewed hospital janitors. They met one who told them about how he stopped mopping the floor because a patient was walking slowly down the hall. Another told them how she ignored her supervisor and didn’t vacuum the visitor’s lounge because there were some family members who were there all day, every day. In the drudgery of cleaning, these janitors remembered the real goal of the hospital, and perhaps even of their human race. They reset their goals to be about more than cleaning, but about caring for others. Question: When have you had to reset your goals? Why did you do it? Reminder: We are reading the Bible in sync as one community - so check out today's reading here. Reminder: The best way to grow spiritually this year is to join our Christianity 101 in the Cafe Course in Pickering starting this Wednesday, January 22nd. Register for you and a friend today!

From Series: "Reset"

When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.

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