New Beginning

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
-- Genesis 1:1 English Standard Version (ESV)
The birth of Jesus forever and radically altered the course of human history, starting with the wise men. They didn't expect it or plan it. To be safely out of harm's way amid Herod's furor and paranoia, the magi took a different route home after worshiping Jesus (Matthew 2:1-7). Here is the very first example alluding to God's dispensation of grace, in that salvation is of the Lord Jesus.

God's grace and mercy for salvation are that radical and unexpected. It is not something we sinners can control, dictate, and set conditions. The wise men understood the radical grace of Christmas and made a course change to save their lives. For God so love the world, He has entered a covenant of sovereign grace with man. This covenant is the unconditional gift of redemption of man's sin through Jesus (Romans 8:23-24); the salvation plan unfurled to mankind begining with the first four words of the first book of the Bible, Genesis: "In the beginning, God..."