Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of Unchanging Truth

for the Colson Center on John Stone Street.

Every year, millions of people visit the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The exposed surface where people tuck prayers between stones is only a fraction of the original

wall that bordered the temple before its destruction in 8070, much of the rest sits underground,

where visitors gain access only through a series of tunnels.

At one particular spot, where part of the original Second Temple wall sits exposed, Jewish women

are allowed to gather and pray.

Some come every day.

Some stay for hours.

They're praying in large part for the coming of the Messiah.

As Christians who live now more than 2,000 years after the birth of Jesus, it can be difficult

to understand that kind of waiting.

Even in the midst of our Christmas celebration, the fact that Jesus came into the world can

seem somewhat mundane.

It can seem like a less than a historical event, or even worse, like just another cultural

ritual with a vague sense of religion attached.

For devout Jewish people, hoping the salvation of the Lord has meant thousands of years of

waiting for one singular event, promise first to Adam and Eve in the Garden.

There, in the wake of their sin, God promised to put enmity between the offspring of the

serpent and the offspring of the woman.

That's recognized as the very first Messianic prophecy, one that was repeated and clarified

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