What Was and What Shall Be

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

I love Advent and I love Christmas! The world seems kinder, brighter, and more beautiful this time of year. Neighborhoods glitter with lights, tinsel, trimmed trees, and lovingly placed nativities. Christmas music fills the air and there is a feeling of hope with the season. Our spirits are lifted with each Christmas card we receive and with every verbal “Merry Christmas” spoken to us.

But there is a danger in this beautiful season—a danger to which I all too often succumb. The danger is Christmas tradition—and getting so caught up in decorating, baking, cooking, shopping, and preparing for family and friends that we fail to prepare our hearts for the Lord. The other danger is that we are so focused on looking back at Christ’s first coming that we scarcely think about His second coming.

It is right that we celebrate Christ’s first coming. He was the gift that showed us in person just how much God loves us. He was the One who revealed His Father’s heart to us in the words He spoke in the gospels. And He was the One who demonstrated the depth of that love through His death on the cross and through His resurrection. 

But there is a big difference between Christ’s first coming and His imminent second coming. Jesus came into this world as a baby, meek and mild. He will return to this world as a conquering King, to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. His first coming was scarcely noted, witnessed only by a handful of shepherds and later, by a few wise men who watched the stars and understood what the heavens were proclaiming. His second coming will be apparent to all. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 24:27:  For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

As great as Christ’s first coming was, it cannot hold a candle to what His second coming will be! His first coming revealed the promise. His second coming will reveal the fulfillment of that promise as Jesus restores His Father’s Kingdom to the perfection it had before mankind’s fall into sin. His first coming revealed to us the promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him. At His second coming, that promise becomes an eternal reality for all who were ready for His return!

Don’t get so caught up in “what was” that you miss out on “what shall be.” May the Lord find you ready and at work on His return!

Wishing you and yours a Christ-filled Christmas and a Spirit-filled New Year!

Love in Christ, 

Pastor Dave