The First Day of Advent 2020

 

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Tell Me About the Christmas Baby:

An Advent Devotional Guide

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head; you shall bruise Him on His heal.”
Genesis 3:15

Do you wonder why this Scripture is in a Christmas devotional? Yes, it belongs to the Genesis story. But it also belongs to Christmas.

This little verse, called the proto evangel, is the beginning of the gospel. Right there in the third chapter of Genesis we find God’s first promise of Jesus.

Adam and Eve have disobeyed God, who chastises them but also promises that He will send a redeemer. God speaks to “that old serpent the Devil” and tells him what the future holds! God promises that eventually the snake, who caused all the problems for Adam and Eve, will one day have his head smashed – destroyed by a descendent of Eve. Not however, until he (Satan) has bruised the heel of Eve’s descendent, The Messiah, who God will send to overcome Satan.

Two thousand years before Jesus was born, we learn how he will die. Only in crucifixion does the means of death bruise the heels of its victim. Not only did God promise to send Jesus, but he told us in a subtle way that his coming and dying would be painful!

Father, thank you for your promise to send Jesus and for our celebration of his birthday 4000 years later. Amen.

Tell Me About the Christmas Baby:
An Advent Devotional Guide
prepared for First United Methodist Church of Homosassa, Florida
Winter 2010
by Patience Nave, Christian Education Coordinator