What's Past Is Prologue

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A year ago this week, Merideth and I were in Chicago visiting friends when we decided to make an offer on a new house.  We believed that this house was our "dream" home, and we both bought and renovated it, thinking that we were going to be living in Florida indefinitely.  I was also serving as the pastor of a wonderful church where I believed I would be serving for years to come.  

 Fast forward a year...  As I write today's daily devotion, we are now living in Austin, Texas and are in the midst of negotiating the purchase of another dream home--complete with room for my parents to live with us, as well.  Additionally, I am already a month into what promises to be a long and fruitful season as pastor in a fantastic church in Austin.  

 When I think of all of the things that transpired to get us to this point, it's overwhelming.  Shakespeare was right, "What's past is prologue."  Our family can definitely see the hand of God at work in the amazing and miraculous events of this year as we simply trusted and kept stumbling after Jesus.  
During these waning days of the Christmas season and the beginning of a new year, we need these kinds of reminders in our life--reminders of God's love more fully expressed when we choose to follow Jesus with wild abandon.  

 Philip Yancey wrote, "Jesus embodies the promise of a God who will go to any length to get his family back."  I love that so much.  

In Luke's Gospel, the saintly widow Anna encounters the baby Jesus when he is brought by Mary and Joseph to the Temple.  She had lived her whole life waiting for the moment when she would see the arrival of the Messiah.  The text says that when she saw Jesus she "gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel."  

 Her whole life's journey was preparing her, and readying her for that one moment--the moment when she saw Jesus.  Isn't that amazing?  What a wonderful lesson for us all as we begin a new year.  A life spent pursuing Jesus, is a life well-spent.  

 May you be filled with incredible hope and joy as you begin a new year filled with new possibilities.  May you step into the opportunities and challenges before you with the kind of faith that remembers God's faithfulness and promise-keeping.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always.  Amen.  

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