The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you ... 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 3:14a, 15)
It must have been a favorite bedtime story for Adam and Eve's children and grandchildren. It had all the elements—a good beginning, a tragic middle, and something exciting to look forward to at the end.
The story started out happily—God made people good and gave them a wonderful garden to live in. Then trouble came. The villain of the story showed up and tempted Adam and Eve into turning against God. As a result death, trouble, and suffering came into the world. How terrible!
Ah, but then—and this must have been their favorite bit—then God saved the day by promising a hero who would come and rescue everybody. This hero would be a human being just like them, but He would fight the ancient enemy and win! It would cost Him dearly, and He would suffer greatly, but in the end, He would save all humankind.
At this point those first children would have had to go to sleep. They knew no more than that. But we know more—we know the Name of the Hero. He is Jesus Christ, our Savior. He is the One born of a woman just as we are—born to take on the power of the devil and to defeat him, at the cost of His own suffering and death. And we know the best part of all—that Jesus has risen and is alive forever, victorious over death—and because we belong to Him, so now are we.
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for being the Hero we needed to save us from death and evil. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What is your favorite bedtime, campfire, or other story?
* Why do you love it so much?
* What parts of Jesus' story are your favorite, and why?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 35-36 2 Peter 1
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