At Christmas, God fulfills His purpose - and gives us ours

Rooftop Revelations: My walk across America and Christmas Pastor and Project H.O.O.D. founder Corey Brooks says this Christmas, the greatest gift isn’t presents or programs, but the chance to finish his center debt-free - building safety through healing and education rooted in biblical truth and excellence. I have long been fascinated by the beautiful, cosmic terms Paul uses throughout his letters to describe the place of Jesus in human history . Take, for example, Ephesians 1:9-10: And [God] has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ. This is a powerful picture at any time, but it takes on a special resonance at Christmas. The threads of each of these verses, woven together, reveal an intricate tapestry of a God with a plan and purpose for human history. MOM'S CHRISTIAN ADVENT TOY SELLS OUT COMPLETELY AS FAITH REVIVAL SWEEPS AMERICA People attend the lighting of a Christmas tree in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity in the town of Bethlehem. (Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) Martin Luther King Jr., echoing the abolitionist minister Theodore Parker, often said that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." We see in this passage that God does not stand far off from the affairs of human beings, but guides the world toward his good purpose. The pivotal point in God’s plan is precisely what we celebrate each Christmas : his entrance into the world in human flesh in the person of Jesus. The Incarnation of Christ - leading, as it did, to his death and resurrection - comes, as Paul puts it, at the fullness of time; it is the culmination of God’s purpose in human history. All of creation was waiting with eager anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. ADVENT PEACE DEMANDS ACTION: DEFEND THOSE WHO RISK THEIR LIVES TO WORSHIP FREELY This idea is expressed powerfully in Phillip Brooks’s classic Christmas hymn "O Little Town of Bethlehem:" "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Martin Luther King Jr., echoing the abolitionist minister Theodore Parker, often said that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." PRO-LIFE LEADER PRAISES VATICAN'S 'INSPIRING' ANTI-ABORTION NATIVITY SCENE: 'IT'S REALLY BEAUTIFUL' The greatest of human hopes - redemption, restoration, eternal life - are met and validated in the coming of Christ. The greatest of human fears - sin, death, separation from God - are met and answered in the coming of Christ. When God’s people heard the word Christ - Messiah - they expected a conquering king that would free them from Roman rule and restore...

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