I love these hand painted ornaments of the Nativity because my husband painted them when he was a child. I reserve a special place on our den tree every year to display the simple wooden nativity.
Childhood memories play such an important role in how we view and celebrate the birth of our Savior. I'm sure many of your ornaments have stories to go along with them as well.
But this Advent season I want us not to just dwell in the past. I want us to also anticipate the future.
The first Advent was the anticipation of our Messiah's birth. A people of hope awaiting His first arrival.
Since before the beginning of time, God had a plan. A supreme, sovereign plan to redeem the world. He promised a Savior, the One who would save the people from their sins (Matt. 1:21) and restore their relationship to God, the Father.
After the last prophecy spoken and 400 years of silence, the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4) had come. The sacred swelling of history into the climatic moment of the delivery of the Divine. The holy, glorious birth of the Messiah was near and had been announced through God's messenger, the angel Gabriel - first to Zachariah, then to Mary, and then to Joseph.
Prepare Him room!
The time has come!
The second Advent is for those who await with great anticipation the Messiah's return! The Hope of all who believe! Once Jesus came to earth and started His ministry, He began sharing about His return. He challenged us to be alert, prepared, always anticipating His next and last arrival. The final fullness of time.
I'm semi keeping up with an Advent blog in which a timeless Christmas carol was explained. I was so glad to know that someone else has also thought about the words to this widely known hymn because they don't make sense with the just the first Advent.
The hymn? Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come. It's more specifically about the second Advent. It proclaims the return of Christ when He will rule a new heaven and a new earth as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Yes, Christmas is a celebration of Christ's birth, but let's don't forget we are hoping and waiting for His return. God has not been silent since Jesus came. Even after His ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, God continues to speak through His Son, the Holy Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit to help us grow up in our faith and prepare for His long-awaited return. He has called all of us to proclaim Him among the nations - to preach the gospel and make His story of hope and redemption known.
How can we prepare Him room this season? How will we proclaim His story, His good news?
We first have to clear the room to make room by confessing of our sins and turning away from what hinders our relationship with Christ. Accept His forgiveness. Having the room (our heart) clean is the first step.
The next step is maintenance -keep the room clean - always ready. The key is asking the Spirit to keep us alert, and to search our hearts of any actions or attitudes that are out of character with being a new creation in Christ Jesus. Sin dims our light in the world. It hinders our ability to tell God's Story and live it well. Cleaning it out keeps the Light shining bright.
As we celebrate the birthday of the King this Christmas, why not prepare Him room with excitement and anticipation in our hearts for His return. Let's be ready, waiting for the next and final swelling of time as He comes again to redeem all of the earth, bringing with Him those who have gone before us, saved by the blood of the Lamb, to rule a new heaven and new earth with truth and grace!
Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sin and sorrow grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders of His love.
(George Friedrich Handel, adapted by Isaac Watts)
Come, Lord Jesus! Come!
My Pleasure,
Melanie
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