From Birth to Easter

He promised in Jeremiah 31 (500 years before Christ) that someday he would do something new.  He would replace shadows with the reality of the Messiah.  And he would powerfully move into our lives and write his will on our hearts so that we are not constrained from the outside, but are willing from the inside to love him, trust him, and follow him. (Jon Piper, Joy to the World)

Luke 2 begins the story of Jesus.
Luke starts with Jesus' birth but doesn't stop with Jesus' birth; the Book of Luke shows us Jesus.  His words continue to show us who He is, to teach us...
He grows
He is baptized
He is tempted
He is rejected
He calls friends to follow Him
He sees pain and heals
He hears concerns and listens
He teaches love for enemies
He teaches faith of the unexpected
He teaches forgiveness for those we want to condemn
He models love
He calms the storms of life
He reunites families
He does the unexpected
He shows up when we least expect it
He feeds when there is no food
He reveals His glory when we least expect it
He sends us out and lets us take a friend
He teaches us how to pray
He teaches us that prayer is conversation
He teaches us about service
He teaches us about worship
He warns us of problems we will face
He encourages us to persevere and to trust who HE IS
He begs us not to worry; he even cares for the small birds, surely He will care for us
He welcomes the most lost
He welcomes the son home; the son who chose his own way
He loves those who betray Him
He is mocked
He is sent to trial for crimes He didn't commit
He is silent
He forgives
He proclaims the name of the Father God
He too wants the cup to pass from his life
He is obedient
He is born to die but then He lives.
He is born for all this and oh, so much more.

He is Risen!