Jesus Christ is coming! Get excited! Jesus is coming. Many generations waited for the news that Jesus Christ would be born. Prophets told us so much about our Messiah in our Holy Scriptures. The prophets have given us a lot of news about our coming Messiah who will be born in a few weeks. Do you realize how fortunate we are that we will be alive for the birth of Jesus Christ?
Imagine waiting for Jesus to be born! Generations have anticipated that the Messiah will be born. We are so blessed. Patience has never been one of my virtues. I am thankful that I don’t have to wait for Jesus to be born. We’ve lived our whole lives with the promise of Jesus Christ. The prophets foretold about Jesus to generations and now Jesus Christ will be born in a few days.
Jesus will be born in a manger in the city of David. He will be born of the Virgin Mary. Now, we can embrace the son of God and the son of Man as our Messiah. Will we get distracted by all of the Christmas lights, holiday shopping and even Christmas programs this year? Are we trying to find a gift that we can take to our Messiah or are we wondering what gift we will receive this year?
Jesus is the best present that we can hope for during our lifetime. This Advent Season is a time of preparation. Let us prepare our hearts and our minds for the reality that Jesus Christ is coming. He will be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) He will be called Immanuel, “God with Us.” (Isaiah 7:14)
God has tried all kinds of things to reach us and to redeem us. Now, he is sending his only son, Jesus Christ, to walk this earth. Jesus will preach and teach us the mysteries of the gospel. Jesus will ask us to follow him and to worship him and to serve him. Some people will hear and see Jesus and yet not believe. Will we believe without seeing Jesus? Will we need to see signs, miracles, and wonders before we believe?
The news that Jesus Christ will be born is like the taste of the sweetest candy. I remember daydreaming about Atomic Fireballs, Red Hots, and big gum balls when I was about seven years old. The Atomic Fireballs were in a big jar at the general store in my grandmother’s hometown of St. George, Georgia. The counter had a whole line of jars with candy in a variety of colors.
We spent a lot of time thinking about the joy of the Atomic Fireball candy in our mouths. The candy was in clear wrappers so that the kids could see what we were missing. We spent a lot of time describing each jar and the amazing candy that was contained inside of each one. We talked about whether the Atomic Fireballs or the Red Hots were the hottest in your mouth. We talked about which gum could make the biggest bubbles or stay juicy the longest.
We were always talking about candy especially when we weren’t able to eat the Atomic Fireballs. We knew that one day we would be able to save up enough dimes and nickels to buy some of those Atomic Fireballs. We were so excited about something that was sweet and yet would be gone in a few minutes. I didn’t spend my summers daydreaming about the birth of Jesus Christ. Why didn’t I spend a little energy to prepare for the day that Jesus Christ would come into my life?
Can you believe that people used to daydream about the Messiah like I did about the candy? Many of the prophets would tell stories about the coming of the son of God. They would describe all of the wonderful things that Jesus would do when he came to this world. Each story told us more about Jesus Christ. Each story was like each piece of Atomic Fireball candy in one of the jars. We talked about how great the candy was when we couldn’t afford to buy any. We knew we had to save up the money to buy the candy. The people waiting for Jesus knew they had to wait until God was ready to give us his son.
God will FREELY give us his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a freely gift. We don’t have to save up our dimes, nickels, or even dollars to pay for the sweet taste of our Lord and Savior. We just have to go to Jesus. They tell us that a star will shine brightly in the night sky that will lead us to Jesus Christ when he is born. Will you come with me to see the Virgin Mary and the baby lying in a manger in swaddling clothes? What gifts can we bring?
King David was promised that Jesus Christ would be born from his family tree. In Isaiah 9:6-7, Jesus will be called “the mighty God, the everlasting Father and the heir to the throne of King David.” Abraham was told that Jesus would be one of his children’s children one day (Genesis 12:3). Jesus is coming to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah, Hosea, Malachi, Zechariah, Daniel, Jeremiah and even Samuel. Even the scriptures in Psalm, Deuteronomy, Genesis, and Exodus tell part of the story of who Jesus will be and what he will do for us as our Messiah.
As Jesus lives of this earth he will fulfill these prophecies. He is the only one who will be able do all of things that the prophets foretold about the Son of God. Jesus Christ is coming. Jesus Christ wants to be part of our lives. Will we open hearts and open our minds to make room for Jesus this Advent Season?
The prophet Jeremiah explained in Jeremiah 23:1-2 the problems that are in the world today: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD.” God decided that it was necessary to give us Jesus Christ his only son because the world is so messed up.
In Jeremiah 23:3-4 God promises that he will gather the believers together: “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.”
Now, the next verses in Jeremiah 23:5-6 give us the promise of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah tells us “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.”
Jesus is our savior. It is through the birth and his death on the cross that we experience God’s grace and salvation. Our salvation is a free gift. Our salvation is a gift that is so much better than anything that we will find under the Christmas tree this year.
The scripture from Colossians 1:3-20 gives thanks that we have faith in Jesus Christ and that our love and hope is stored up in heaven. Let’s read the scripture from Colossians 1:3-7 (NIV) that is talking about you. “ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.”
Jesus Christ is coming! The gospel is bearing fruit and growing in Franklin County, Virginia, and the whole world. The prayer in Colossians is that we truly understand God’s grace. God’s grace is shown in the birth of Jesus Christ. We are here to experience that birth once again this Christmas season. Don’t let the hectic pace of this season distract you from the knowledge of the true message of the gospel that Jesus Christ was born as a gift for our lives here on earth and our eternal lives with God in heaven.
It takes prayer to transform and to change us. Colossians 1:9-20 continues “9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
“15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
We have a joy to share with the nations. Jesus Christ is coming not just for you and me, but for the whole world. It is up to us to spread the news that Jesus Christ is the true this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season. We have so much to be thankful for this year. The gift of Jesus in just a few weeks is the ultimate gift that we are urged to share with as many people as possible. There are people in this world who need the faith, hope, and love that is the promise of the Christ child. The love of Jesus Christ can perform miracles in our lives and in lives that still needs to open the present that God gave to all of us if we just open the Bible and read the stories that promised that the Messiah would come to this world and redeem us from our sins. Jesus Christ is coming to you this year in just a few weeks. Prepare your hearts and your mind to embrace a child who will change this world for all of eternity. Amen!
