She graciously shared her marriage with me—because she needed me to know what she was giving us. Her donations weren’t simply unused items from a tired, old closet. The items she brought were a part of her love story….

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I think about Flannery's words; (yes, I want to be on a first-name basis with this brilliant writer whose books ruin me in the best possible way.) I remember a few years ago speaking with an evangelical friend who told me baptism was merely a symbol of a saved heart and was in no way necessary. …A symbol—merely representing a perceived reality but effecting no real change? Well, if that's the case, I wanted to echo my girl Flannery's words, "Then to hell with it!"

This twinkle in the sky that was last seen during the invasions of Genghis Khan and last seen before that when our Lord Jesus Christ was a baby just recently slipped through our sky again. It is a grace to be connected with generations past in this special way, a common thread that ties a unique experience together. It reminds us that we are a part of something bigger — a family of men and women who come into this world and look toward the heavens for something more. And perhaps the most beautiful gift of all is realizing the beautiful truth that there is indeed something to be seen when we look up.

Just as Christ sanctified the waters of Baptism by His very participation in the River Jordan, so too did our Lord, by entering into humanity through the womb of a woman, sanctify both the dwelling place of the unborn and the family that receives new life.

Why did Jesus become small? He is the author of all life, the science of generation, and the power that begets all things, yet He made Himself small so that through the womb of His mother, He could enter into the vulnerability of man.

They see the impossible before them like the Israelites when they stood before the Red Sea. Frightened and overcome by despair they can’t think past the barrier before them—there is no way forward that doesn’t destroy me…  With their toes on the water’s edge and the Egyptians closing in, do you remember what Moses told the Israelites?

This Advent, give your children what they are searching for, one day at a time. Give them a starting point, context, belonging. Our Jesse Tree helps you to teach your children that the Story of Salvation is their family story, and it isn't over yet! That God has a special mission for them to share in His holy work. And, made in the image & likeness of God, their identity within His family is sacred.