We have entered into that time of year that is known in orthodox Christendom as the advent season. The word advent means coming. Christmas is the time when Christians celebrate of the first coming of Jesus Christ into this world to die for the sin of the world, and reconcile fallen man with God. We know from history and Scripture that Jesus was more than likely not born on December 25th, but He was born indeed and those three decades that He lived on earth 2,000 years ago have forever changed the world that we live in. Just try to imagine what the world would be like if Jesus Christ had never come. It would be a world without any hope on earth or beyond the grave. It would be a world of total darkness and despair. But praise be to God that Jesus, Emmanuel has come!
Emmanuel means, God with us. What I would like to share with you this advent season is the fact that Jesus is with us today, as much as He was with His disciples on earth 2,000 years ago. The days that we are living in are filled with gloom and hopelessness, for which we have no human answers. Religion cannot answer the deepest need of our souls. Government cannot solve the problems of racial strife and immigration. Such despair is causing people to look for relief in all the wrong places. Even in our age of Internet and microscopic surgery, man still has to deal with the reality of guilt and shame because of sin. The only answer to the guilt, shame and consequences of sin is Emmanuel, God with us.
So, as we look at the good tidings of great joy of The Lord Jesus Christ from Luke’s gospel, my prayer is that The Spirit of God would rekindle and reclaim the message of the joy of advent within each and every one of our hearts and homes. A joy that cannot be found in a mall, or under a tree, but in Calvary’s cross and The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
