I have posted some blogs recently with the topics “Who is Jesus”, “What did Jesus do”, and “Where is Jesus now”. But that’s not all to the story of Jesus, because He is going to make another appearance on planet Earth.
Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am.”
John 14:1-3
And the Apostle Paul wrote – “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”1Thessalonians 4:16-18
Jesus promised his disciples, and us, that he would return. The Apostle Paul reiterates the promise in his letter to the church in Thessalonica. As we have seen, Jesus didn’t abandon the church at his resurrection. He is at work even now, interceding for his children before the throne of his Father. And he is patiently awaiting the word of God that will send Him back to Earth to bring about the end of the age, and the full innauguration of the Age to Come. Jesus told his disciples that only the Father knows the day and the time of the Son’s return.(Mt. 24:36) Jesus always encouraged his followers to be ready for his return at any time.
The early church lived with constant anticipation of this wonderful event.
But what about the church today? Do we awaken each day with the thought that it could be our last one here on this planet? Do we preach, teach and serve with the urgency of the knowledge that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow? Are we eager to see the Lord, or satisfied with our lives to the point of complacency? Have we come to believe that the day of his return is never coming? Have we stopped hoping?
We are approaching a time in the calendar year when Americans begin to focus upon Christmas. Back in the day, that meant that people really began to think about the birth of Jesus – his first appearance on earth. Christians also used this season (called Advent amongst Catholic and Evangelical Christians) to contemplate the Lord’s Second coming. It was a time to reflect and prepare; a time to be thankful for his birth and prepare for his return. Now it seems that the focus is upon everything BUT Jesus. TV commercials push the latest in electronic gadgets and the hotest fashion trends as merchants vie for our hard earned dollars and cents. Schools have stopped having Christmas programs, instead holding “Holiday” parties and concerts.
Silent Night and O Come, O Come Emmanuel have lost out to Jingle Bells and Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.
Don’t get me wrong. I am no Scrooge. I love a good carol and the tree at my house goes up the first of December. But I have found myself sucked into the commercialism and the hype, and losing the heart of the holiday and the hope of His return.
I think this is the perfect year to put Jesus back into Christmas – after all, thats who started it all in the first place!