Advent starts this weekend. Like the onset of a new season or the New Year, it is a beginning. A time to prepare our hearts for celebrating the birth of the Messiah. It is a time to renew who we are as children of God. A time which allows us to truly celebrate Christmas for four weeks, rather than just a single day.
It is a time to cry out to God with the same prayer as Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Be Born in Me.”
It is every Believer’s cry from the depth of our heart as we ask Jesus to take over our lives. We need Jesus to be born in us, fully and completely.
This new little book is designed to help you celebrate the joy of Christmas by looking back from Mary’s perspective. It takes you into the times and culture of her day.
From Chapter Two of the book:
Francesca Battistelli recorded the song: Be Born in Me. In the first verse there is a lyric that says “Somehow help me see with Heaven’s eyes.” What does this mean?
For starters, it means seeing the potential and possibilities of someone, who the world sees and rejects, with God’s eyes. It means seeing the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) and accepting them. God sees and accepts everyone who comes to Him, no matter our story. Harlot. Beggar. Murderer. Adulterer. Thief. Pharisee. Sinner. You. Me. Once we’ve bowed our knee to Jesus, God sees us from Jesus’ point of view. All redeemed. All restored. He sees us the way He created us, like a new born baby, fresh, like a new day with no mistakes in it.
May I encourage you as you go through the day today to look around and ponder what you see. The crowded shopping malls. The crazy traffic. The homeless on the corner. The eyes of hope at your dinner table. Can you see as God does?
Yes. When He is born in you.
The booklet is divided into five sections and includes discussion questions so you can use in a weekly small group, family devotional or class setting.
Here’s the link to the amazon web site: http://amzn.to/SNOkND.
And here’s the link to the Kindle site: http://amzn.to/RI7ODe.
(c) 2012. Rich Ronald.
RichRonald.com 