Advent: The Rescue Plan

Great post from Ally Jaggard on her blog Stones & Mortar, Seeds & Water:

During Advent we celebrate the incarnation, the birth of Jesus. We celebrate and remember that Christ came down and entered into the darkness of our world so that he may actually rescue us from ourselves and from the slavery of sin. This has been God’s plan throughout history and we see it all over Scripture.

“Jesus said, ‘God so loved the people of the world so much that he gave his only Son. So that anyone who believes in him will have eternal life and never really die. He did not send his Son into the world to punish people. He sent him to rescue them.” (John 3:16-17 paraphrase from the Jesus Storybook Bible)

This Advent season I stumbled across an Advent Calendar that walks through God’s rescue plan throughout Scripture and is based on readings from the Jesus Storybook Bible. This is, admittedly, a children’s Bible. But let me tell you, it is for young and old. Whether you are 5, 16, 25, 45 or 70, you will be blessed by its telling of God’s great rescue plan that is woven throughout the many stories of the Scriptures. If you ever struggle to remember the story of Scripture and God’s great love for you and his people, you will be blessed by the simple words and images of this book.

I’ve included an excerpt below to whet your appetite:

“No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne–everything– to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is– it’s true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle–the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day–but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning…” (p17, Jesus Storybook Bible)