He left - He came - He lived

We do not have a complete chronological record of Jesus’ life from the years following His birth until He began His earthly ministry of discipleship that is recorded in the Gospels. What we do know, however, based on ultimate biblical truth, is that Jesus was with God from the beginning of time. He modeled complete, humble, loving, and obedient surrender to God’s plan for His promised—and fulfilled—sacrificial life.

He left—He left Heaven.
He left His seat at the right hand of His Father.
He left the presence of our almighty and sovereign God.
He left perfect peace, perfection, and wholeness.
He left a kingdom of beauty unlike any other.
He left a constant aroma of heartfelt, humbled praise.
He left—He left Heaven.

He came—He came to Earth.
He came to be born of the Virgin Mary and her betrothed, Joseph.
He came, knitted together by God in His mother’s womb.
He came to conflict, imperfection, and disorder.
He came to a kingdom marked by ugliness and sin.
He came knowing He would endure an excruciating death.
He came—He came to Earth.

He lived—He lived among us.
He lived and shared life with those His Father created.
He lived among believers, non-believers, and opponents.
He lived among the humble and among those who plotted His death.
He lived and witnessed the slow decay of Earth caused by sin.
He lived with compassionate mercy amid hatred and betrayal.
He lived—He lived among us.

He lives — He still lives.

-Olivia Dinneen