Come, Lord Jesus!

This week we begin our preparation for Christmas, when, through the birth of Jesus Christ, God declares to us that it is good to be human and that he is on our side. As we enter the season of Advent, we therefore say, Come, Lord Jesus. This week we focus on the foundation of Jesus’ message: the coming Kingdom of God.

Read Matthew 24:1-51. Did you ever keep watch on Christmas Eve to see if Father Christmas was coming? Eyes peeled and fixed on the sky, looking intently for any flying reindeer? I can certainly remember occasions when I snuck out of bed in the wee small hours wondering if he’d ever turn up.

Advent has more than a hint of this feeling. When it comes to the Kingdom of God, we live in the era where it is present, but not yet. The perfect fullness of the Kingdom of God is always to come. That’s why sometimes, life can seem empty. It’s why we demand our needs are satisfied – by God, by each other, by “the system”.

When we ask, “why did this have to happen?” or “why is life so difficult?” we show our impatience for the full picture of the Kingdom of God. We are refusing to say, “Come, Lord Jesus”.

When we come to see that our role is to watch and to wait, then we can live in the freedom, surrender and hope that is proclaimed in the Advent mantra of “Come, Lord Jesus”. We can live patiently, learning to trust without needing any sense of resolution. We can trust that Jesus will come again, just as he came in the past and as he comes into our present. Come, Lord Jesus is not a cry of desperation. It is a shout of hope!

THINK IT OVER

Think about the following:

•What expectations and demands in your life today can you let go of to be more prepared for the coming of our Lord Jesus?