Christmas cards are one of my favorite things of the season. I enjoy receiving cards from friends and family, and I enjoy creating one for our family each year. This year's inspiration came from an advent book that I adore, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp.
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot--yes, a new branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the lord Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of
will rest upon Him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Lord...In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to Him and in a land where He lives will be a glorious place.” Isaiah 11:1-2, 10
Once, in the truest story that you have ever heard, His-Story, which is really your very own story, there was this family--Jesse’s family. A family that was like yours, like a tree with branches of these relatives and those brothers and those sisters--a family that loved each other, hurt each other, forgave each other, and failed each other. They were a family that failed God. And in failing God, they fell away from closeness with God. They failed and were like a fallen tree. When their family tree crashed to the ground, it crushed all of their hearts. The stump and all of their days felt utterly hopeless. Like their hearts had been cut right out of them. But it happened: the wondrous impossible. It came right out of that chopped down stump-the miracle no one ever dreamed of, except for God. God never stopped dreaming of the miracle, the One He’d dreamed right from the very beginning, because love never stops dreaming of a way to draw close again. Coming straight out of that family tree that had been cut right down-a miraculous shoot was springing up out of the stump. Out of the stump came one tender branch that would grow right into a manger, right into crown of thorns, right into a rugged cross, right into a ladder-our ladder back to God. Out of the stump of Jesse’s family
tree comes the shoot of Jesus’ forever love. We pray that you have discovered that wonderful love that goes to great lengths to rescue you. This is the blessed message of Christmas. Christmas cannot be bought, created, made by hand, lit up, set out, or dreamed out. It can only be found in the manger, in the unexpected.
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