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From heaven to your heart
When Jesus carried out his work as the promised Savior, he took a journey that ended in your heart through faith in him.
“Next stop, Junction City!” the conductor cries out. The train slows to a stop. Some passengers get off, while new passengers get on. The train speeds to its next destination, which the conductor will soon identify.
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When Jesus carried out his work as the promised Savior, there were several destinations on his mission. Planet Earth was the first.
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From heaven above to earth I come
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The Christmas celebration in Martin Luther’s home in 1534 was memorable. Luther had composed a 15-stanza hymn, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.” A man dressed as an angel sang the first 7 stanzas, while Luther’s children sang the remaining stanzas. Wouldn’t it have been fascinating to witness that?
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While the hymn title describes an angel announcing the Savior’s birth to shepherds, one can easily picture Jesus speaking those words of the title. And essentially, he did.
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After the Lord miraculously fed thousands of people with a few pieces of bread and fish, he informed them, “I have come down from heaven” (John 6:38).
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Jesus came down from heaven for a reason. Someone who had been with him in heaven had rebelled and was cast down into hell. One day, that fallen angel slithered his way into a conversation with Eve in the Garden of Eden. That conversation led to sinful actions that threatened the eternities of all people.
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God did not respond by issuing a royal edict that reversed the effects of sin like the snap of a finger. No, God set into motion a plan formulated in eternity—a plan that involved his Son leaving the perfection and glory of heaven and coming to a world ravaged by sin.
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Jesus would crush the old evil foe by living and dying as the world’s substitute. His resurrection from the dead and descent into hell showed the devil who had triumphed in the battle and who had lost.
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No heathen god ever acted like this. False deities merely threaten people to fix their own problems. But the only true God sent a Savior to this world—and not to a random place. God chose the precise location of the Savior’s birth. The next destination from heaven to your heart is Bethlehem.
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Last year FIC produced a series of Advent devotions in partnership with musicians from Martin Luther College. Check this timeless series out as part of your Advent preparations. Each week, hover over the appropriate candle on the Advent wreath and open a storybook that includes a devotion and illustration as well as a video of Martin Luther College’s choir singing that week’s suggested hymn.
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One of the destinations in “From heaven to your heart” is a manger. Over the years, hymn writers and artists have portrayed Jesus’ manger in Bethlehem as being almost glamorous. As a result, we sing “Away in a Manger,” and it can resemble a lullaby. We . . .
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Certain moments in life take your breath away. The glory of a sunset over snowcapped mountain peaks or an early morning sunrise over endless waters. A groom’s first glimpse of his bride just before she walks down the aisle. A child’s first word, first step. An amazing . . .
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Do you remember Oprah’s Favorite Things episodes when she would give gifts to members of the studio audience? She would say, “You get a loofah. And you get a loofah.” Everyone would scream when they got the loofah. The episode was meant to give her . . .
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Every year I say, "This Christmas season is going to be different. This year the frenzied, frantic, flurry of activity won't be my norm for December. I'll start early enough. I'll say no and set boundaries. After all, Christmas comes the same day every year! It doesn’t have . . .
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Editor's note: Merry Christmas to all our readers! We will be taking a break next Tuesday on Christmas Eve and then returning with one final issue of e-news for 2024 on Dec. 31. Check back then to see what our top ten articles were this year!
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