God Came to Us Then
This is the easy part of Advent and Christmas – celebrating the Good News of Jesus’ birth. This is why we exchange gifts, throw parties, and revel with one another in Christian fellowship. By doing this, we mirror (albeit imperfectly) the gift-giving characteristic of God.
God Comes to Us Now
As much time as we spend physically preparing ourselves for Christmas (decorations, tree trimming, shopping, baking, etc.) God would have us spend even a fraction of that time in spiritual preparation for His next coming. Advent is calling us to prepare our hearts for heaven, to put on, so to speak, a pair of glasses with lenses that bring into clear focus the need to be in a right relationship with him. This includes being daily nurtured by Him through His Word, speaking intimately to Him in fervent prayer, and worshiping Him with sincere and reverent hearts.
God Will Come to Us Again
For many of us, this very well may be the most difficult aspect of Advent – thinking about Jesus’ return to take us to be with Him in heaven. I think this is because, for us as sinful mortals, we have a hard time getting our minds around the concept of eternity. We tend to blow it off and say ‘I don’t have time to think about the future – I have enough trouble thinking about the now.’ Or for some of us, as we contemplate the concept of eternity - even eternity in heaven, we may have a sense of uncertainty and even fear. I remember asking my mother what heaven would be like, and she said it would be like church. That didn’t exactly produce an exuberant feeling of anticipation within me! I can’t tell you how many times students have asked me to explain what heaven will be like. It’s clearly in their thoughts. What I ultimately end up saying to anyone who asks is, “Don’t worry about whether or not you’ll like it – you most assuredly will!” Paul explains this best in 1 Corinthians 2:9 when he writes, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” For me, this is the consummate Advent passage – because it builds anticipation in me, the desire to finally come into the presence of God and enjoy a relationship with Him that He intended for me and all of us from the very beginning. At this point, we can only imagine what that will be like. But even our imagination is inadequate in its ability to conceive of what God is preparing for us.
This Advent season, definitely spend time celebrating the THEN of Jesus’ coming as the Babe of Bethlehem. Definitely spend lots of time celebrating the NOW of how He comes to us through Word and Sacrament. And finally, ponder and meditate on the WILL COME AGAIN part of Advent, and praise God for what we can’t even begin to understand or imagine in what waits for us in eternity.
Blessed Beyond Imagination,
Mr. Adams
Interim Principal
Director of Youth & Family Ministry