December 14 Advent thoughts 

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers: he will crush your head and you will bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15 

The earliest prophesy of the coming Messiah. Some 5,000 years before it was fulfilled. Could anyone really understand this? How much sense did this make? Here, God speaks to the serpent in the garden after the temptation of Eve. We assume that He gave this wording while Adam and Eve stood there as well, given that the verse right before God had questioned Eve as to who gave her the apple. So Eve heard this and we wonder-what would have gone through her mind, to know that there would be this ongoing strife between good and evil-played out over time between a child that will eventually come from her, and Satan? And to know that ultimately the Child shall overcome? And now we are on the cusp of celebrating the birth of this Child. And we see around us evil as it manifests itself. But the prophesy still stands, ultimately the Christ will overcome. But until that time, like a lone candle acting as a beacon of hope, we see the Christ child in the manger and stand in awe of the future King. 

Born thy people to deliver,  

born a child, and yet a King. 

born to reign in us forever,  

Now thy gracious Kingdom bring. 

-Come, Thou Long expected Jesus, written by Charles Wesley, 1744