(Gen. 1) Out of darkness, without form or void, God comes and creates light and life…and redemptive history begins! All that the Lord has made is good, and all creation displays His Glory and sings out His praise!
(Matt. 1) Out of a genealogy filled with sin and brokenness (Jacob and Leah’s painful marriage, Judah’s shocking sin, Rahab – the gentile prostitute, David’s costly sin with his stolen wife) the Lord displays His redeeming grace! From this line, from this family – the Son of God, the hope of the world is born. And we, His people, are redeemed!
(Ezra 1) Out of a time of despair – Israel’s well-deserved captivity – the Lord once again comes and moves. He moves the heart of a gentile king to send His people to rebuild the Lord’s Temple. God has not forgotten His people. He has heard their cries, and in His time, He redeems them from their sins and promises to dwell with them again!
(Acts 1) Out of His disciples’ confusion the Lord speaks of the fulfillment of His redemptive work. The disciples are concerned with earthly, political redemption, but Jesus turns their gaze to the great promise of a true and everlasting redemption! They will be a people who will show forth His glory to the ends of the world! What greater hope and promise could there be?
(Gen. 1) Out of darkness, without form or void, God comes and creates light and life…and redemptive history begins! All that the Lord has made is good, and all creation displays His Glory and sings out His praise!
(Matt. 1) Out of a genealogy filled with sin and brokenness (Jacob and Leah’s painful marriage, Judah’s shocking sin, Rahab – the gentile prostitute, David’s costly sin with his stolen wife) the Lord displays His redeeming grace! From this line, from this family – the Son of God, the hope of the world is born. And we, His people, are redeemed!
(Ezra 1) Out of a time of despair – Israel’s well-deserved captivity – the Lord once again comes and moves. He moves the heart of a gentile king to send His people to rebuild the Lord’s Temple. God has not forgotten His people. He has heard their cries, and in His time, He redeems them from their sins and promises to dwell with them again!
(Acts 1) Out of His disciples’ confusion the Lord speaks of the fulfillment of His redemptive work. The disciples are concerned with earthly, political redemption, but Jesus turns their gaze to the great promise of a true and everlasting redemption! They will be a people who will show forth His glory to the ends of the world! What greater hope and promise could there be?