Flashback

The Christmas season means football, right? Well, of course! College and NFL football are wrapping up, and so with Christmas comes the final weeks of these seasons. It is undeniable that Jacob, my oldest, loves football. He is seen often diving around my house for pretend balls. Last Friday we went out back and ran some routes in the back yard. The boys so desperately wanted to do it again on Saturday, but with Abby sick we had to stay inside. Sometimes Jacob will even ask to watch the first few minutes of Monday night football. A couple weeks ago when I let him do that, I sat back and watched him copy the moves during the opening scenes. I flashed back to when I loved football like that. I remember being a kid with such energy and all the potential of what was ahead of me. Everything with the boys can be a tackling match here or there, but sometimes I feel like my job as a dad is not to stomp that kind of passion and enthusiasm. It is the way God made us and wanted us to be. It is sad that we can see how that enthusiasm, energy and passion fades after years of being tainted by the world and sin.

Last week we jumped forward and spent time talking about John the Baptist at the end of his ministry. It was a time that he needed to be reminded that Jesus was the one, especially while he sat in jail. The challenges John the Baptist faced in preparing the way for the Lord were endless, and his ending seemed bitter. This week, however, we flashback to see the energy John had in the very beginning. He was jumping in the womb because he knew Jesus was on the way. That flashback shows us his passion, a passion that got him through some pretty tough days.

I have seen a lot of babies moving in the womb, and though I hate to admit it, at times the amazement of God’s creation was not that strong. This year with this new baby, the amazement is stronger than ever. As Mindy and I begin to watch our new little girl move in the womb we have so much joy. This story of John the Baptist jumping in the womb holds a deeper meaning this year, reminding me of all of God’s potential waiting to come into this world.

A flashback is all we need sometimes to remind us of the great things God has given us. All too often, even at Christmastime, we have lost the excitement of God’s potential in our lives because we have been tainted by the bitter pains of the world. Christmas brings us back to the true promise that God will (and does) renew all the potential we have by giving us forgiveness so we can live to be His light in this world. John the Baptist was not only preparing for the potential he already had as a baby in the womb soon to come into the world, but the renewed potential of Christ’s coming. In our final Sunday of preparation we ask ourselves where have we lost vision and excitement for the potential God has for us, and how do we prepare for the renewed potential of the coming of our Savior?