Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV) 14The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  15I 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 12:1-3 (ESV) 1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  3I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

When I was a little kid I could not wait until Christmas. As a family, we would prepare for Christmas through observing Advent.  Each day I got more excited and looked forward with anticipation. Christmas is part of a fulfillment of a promise. God’s promise is a plan of love and grace that was put into place the moment rebellion/disobedience took place.  But it took time for the promise to be fulfilled - time that would emphasize the need and, therefore, the value of this promise.  

The first promise of a Saviour appears in Genesis 3:14-15, when God is addressing the consequences of disobedience.  God says to the serpent, “he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.”  The offspring of Eve was to come many years later in answer to this prophecy.  As the years passed, the need for a Saviour (Messiah) became more evident as humanity tried to deal with the sin bent that dwells inside each person.  It is just after the consequences of sin are declared that God so graciously covers Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, indicating that a life would have to be given for freedom.

After this first promise years pass. It almost seems like God forgot, but He didn’t. God approaches Abraham and renews the promise increasing its focus.  God says to Abraham “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God was preparing for the greatest gift on earth – a gift that changes the eternal destiny of humanity, a gift that is available for all to receive.  

How much thought do you put into the gifts you give at Christmas?  Are they gifts of longevity, or are they gifts for only the moment?   

Memory Verse: Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.