Wait for what? Who likes to wait for the bus/LRT or a
bum-friend. I for one just hate the idea of waiting in a queue. But as we enter into Advent the Church is
asking us to WAIT. Again?? For what???
Well, for a start it is not WHAT we are waiting for but for
WHOM! The reason of our waiting is
Christ Himself! Remember we love singing Christ the reason for our season?
And if it is Christ then it has to be a completely different
kind of waiting as oppose to how we wait for a bus or friend.
It means we wait with a different kind of attitude all
together! And what that means is we wait expectantly and in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Sounds familiar? It should!
And awaiting for Christ must certainly mean we are inviting
Him to break into our lives the same way the He broke into the world
2000 years who was so in need of His
touch.
More than 2000 years ago the Jewish people awaited with
bated breath for a Messiah and they got one. Our Heavenly Father definitely did
not and will not disappoint us as we wait in hope.
But did the Jewish people recognize Jesus when He came to
them? Unfortunately, no! You see even if you had all awaited expectantly and
hoping with anticipation you could still miss the Messiah! How is that possible?
The reason the people of God missed it is because they were
not prepared and that is the key of this four weeks Advent celebration.
Since they were not prepared their hearts and mind was not ready to receive
Him.
They were hoping for a revolutionary or a warrior-king like
but what they got was a baby! The idea of a Messiah in the form of a baby did
not resonate well with the Jews even when Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier -
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will
conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel” (Is 7:14).
How about us today? The reason we celebrate Advent over and
over again year in and year out is so that we over-prepare ourselves to
recognize and receive Jesus which I’ve said is the key. But what is the purpose
of this waiting really? It is for His glorious second coming. He is coming to
take us home. But we have to be ready, people.
And make no mistake about His identity this time around.
When He is comes for the second time He is making it very clear that He is
coming as a King and a Judge of the world; not a baby anymore.
The only difference this time around is the timing! We do
not know the time or the hour of His coming. And as Jesus said He will surely
come but like a thief in the night or when we are busy celebrating or partying
with family and friends (we love to do this during December, no?J).
And by the way Advent is not JUST about shopping, partying,
decorating, even caroling! And it’s not about DOING either. It’s us
taking a step back in our lives and start BEING and LIVING these values so we can have the desired breakthrough in
our lives in Jesus. And being broken as we are - we thoroughly need His
personal but mighty touch in our lives – in our families, carrier, business,
relationships, ministry etc. I know I
need Him very much!
And what values does the Church exhorts us during this
Advent time?
-
We wait expectantly
-
With hopeful anticipation
-
And with joyful preparation
Simple, right? In practical terms we should:-
-
Pray daily
-
Read and think about God’s Word daily
-
Share with others especially the poor
-
Be thankful in all things
-
Understand the Advent/Christmas symbols during
this celebration…they must be something meaningful in it
So, how is your Advent been so far? No worries! We just
started today.
Let’s make the best of it and finish strong!
Amen.
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