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Journey to Bethlehem
Christ
“Throughout this Advent season, we’ve been reminded of the ways God has revealed Himself to His people prior to Jesus coming. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, spoke to Moses through a burning bush, led His people with a cloud and a pillar of fire, and for hundreds of years only a high priest could intercede for sins in the Holy of Holies. The prophets kept speaking of a coming Messiah, but for 400 years, God was silent.
But everything was about to change.”
Each week in our Advent reflections, we’ll take a look at one of the ways God drew near to his people leading up to Jesus’s birth. In this Christmas Eve reflection, Amy Velarde shares what it means to us that Jesus came to Earth.
Journey to Bethlehem
The Tabernacle
“Maybe, like me, you get to the details of the tabernacle’s construction and you begin to skim, but pause here. Imagine in your mind the artistry and architecture involved. Every detail of its design was meant to draw the people to remember who God is, his history with his people, and also to point to a future together one day in eternity. Pause again and imagine the sight of a massive cloud of God’s presence settling down overhead.”
Each week in our Advent reflections, we’ll take a look at one of the ways God drew near to his people leading up to Jesus’s birth. Erin Harris shares a reflection on the Tabernacle.
Journey to Bethlehem
the cloud of smoke and pillar of fire
“Imagine you look to your left, your right, before you, behind you, and all you can see are the thousands of people plodding onward into an unknown future. It’s a surreal feeling—you are leaving Egypt, the only home you have ever known, that anyone in your family has known for the past 400 years. You are leaving your job as a brick-maker, the only thing that ever gave you value in the world.
And strangest of all, you are being led by a something so odd, you think your eyes must be playing tricks on you—a giant column of a cloud, which at night glows like fire. When it stops, your entire Israelite group stops and makes camp. When it moves, and where it moves, you pack up and follow. ”
Each week in our Advent reflections, we’ll take a look at one of the ways God drew near to his people leading up to Jesus’s birth. Drew Dolan shares an immersive narrative reflection on the Pillar of Cloud and Fire.