Expectation

"Come Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee. Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art; By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone; By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Amen." (by Charles Wesley, 1744; Rowland H. Prichard, c. 1830).

Expectation, anticipation, longing...the season of Advent...the coming of Jesus.

Are we ready? What do we do to prepare for the coming of Jesus? Do we focus on Jesus as we hang the Christmas lights? Is He the focus of each decoration hung on our trees? The season of Advent is here; ready or not! 

It seems like too much of our Christmas is without Christ. I have seen stories that give a Christian angle to some of the symbols we see at Christmas like the tree, the poinsettia, the candles, the wreaths and so on. That is a good thing. We need to center on the true meaning of Christmas rather than the commercialized icons. It is hard when Santas and reindeer and grinches surround us.

During the time before Jesus was born, the people were anxiously waiting for a Savior, a King to rescue them, as God had promised repeatedly.

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory...And in this place I will grant peace,' says the Lord Almighty," (Haggai 2:6, 7, 9b).

Lord Almighty, we come before You with expectant hearts during this Advent season. We know Jesus came as a baby and died for us as a Man. We ask You to fill our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas...the fulfillment of Your promise of a Savior. As we look into the rustic stable we see Jesus, the One and Only Redeemer. Thank You, Lord, for sending us Your Son. Help us keep our focus on Jesus as we move through this season of expectation. We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.