Day 4 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Over 400 years. That's what separated the Old Testament from the New Testament. That's quite a long time of silence from God. Can you imagine what the Israelites might be thinking? If it was me in that place, I might be wondering if God was still there. Did God really care? Did God give up on us and leave us completely after all of the screw ups we had made? Why isn't God talking to us anymore like He had done before? I'm sure I would have many more thoughts than just these, but these are the ones that come into my head when I first think about it.

Now, take that same 400+ years. That's how long the Jewish people had waited on the arrival of the Messiah. Did you catch the main word? Waited. Can you imagine the anticipation they felt. I wonder if it's anything like what we experience today as we await the Second Coming. There's that longing to worship the King of Kings. So, with all of this anticipation, can you imagine their disappointment when Jesus came as a "babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?" That's it? They waited on some baby, in a manger, with parents who were just plain people, and in a city that is not known for royalty? Where was this majestic king who was going to make everyone bow down to Him and would come with a grand presentation?

After thinking about the time span and the anticipation, I can see how some might feel a little disappointed with just a baby. But I see the bigger picture because we have the Scriptures now, which they didn't have then. We know that the baby was Jesus, the Son of God. Philip Yancey says, "Among people who walled off a separate sanctum for God in the temple and shrank from pronouncing or spelling out the name, God made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger. What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear."

But the anticipation is the part that I keep lingering on. Isn't that part of the reason why we celebrate Advent? I think that Ann Marie Stewart said it best. She writes, "The Latin word for "advent" means "the coming." The advent season was instituted as a time of fasting for holy living, and it remains a time of inward preparation for the coming of Christ. It's much more than a one-day celebration, it's a month to be still and remember the God of our past, present, and future. In anticipating His first coming, we celebrate His presence in the present and prepare for His second coming to earth."

So, my friends, I ask you...are you anticipating Christ the King during this Christmas season or are you anticipating the gifts and the things of this world?