Husband, father, and Anglican pastor living in the North Georgia Mountains.
God knows us fully—knitting us together before birth, writing our days before they began. Now he stands on the shore of our ordinary lives and calls us by name. Repent, follow, and join the one body of Christ. The kingdom is at hand, and the light has already dawned on us.
In a single sentence, John the Baptist connects the entire history of Israel's redemption to Jesus. He bridges the ancient Passover night in Egypt with the eternal deliverance accomplished in Jesus. And he issues an invitation that still echoes across the centuries: Come. See. Behold.
Today we explore the Magi's journey to worship the newborn king (Matthew 2), Paul's unveiling of Gentile inclusion (Ephesians 3:1-13), and Psalm 72's vision of universal blessing — all pointing to a God whose light is for all nations, Jew and Gentile alike.
The infant whom the angels proclaimed, whom the shepherds sought, whom Simeon and Anna recognized in the temple, has grown into a boy on the threshold of manhood. Jesus, now twelve years old, journeys with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.
In the words of Isaiah 61:10–62:5, we encounter a song of exultation so intense that it cannot be contained, a joy that overflows every boundary because God has acted decisively to redeem, restore, and delight in his people.
The baby in the manger is no ordinary child — he is the eternal Word, the radiant glory of God, who upholds the universe yet became flesh to dwell among us. Through John 1, Hebrews 1, and Psalm 98, we behold a God full of grace, truth, and unending love.