Somewhere in my many bins of Christmas decor is a little snowman with removable numbers that count down until Christmas. I haven’t taken him out of the box for several years because I can’t seem to remember to flip the number each day.
You see, as much as I love Christmas, and as eagerly as I anticipate it, the season gets busy. And sometimes I forget what I’m waiting for.
The season of Advent, or the period of preparation for Christmas, was designed by the early church fathers to help believers cultivate a proper spirit of anticipation for Christ. Originally, it was a time of fasting to mirror the powerful longing and hunger we all should have for Christ’s return.
Do you look forward to Jesus’ second coming as much as you look forward to Christmas, the celebration of His first coming?
Or are you like me with my snowman, getting so busy while waiting, that I forget what I’m even waiting for?
I can’t remember any other year in my lifetime when my heart yearned so completely to see Jesus descend from heaven with a shout and land His feet on the Mount of Olives. Some things about life and the world this year cause my heart to physically ache for that moment when He will make all things right.
Unfortunately, no snowman countdown lets us know how many days or hours we have left to wait. But Jesus tells us what to do while waiting: Repent and believe. Watch and pray. Go and make disciples. Do not fear. Do not worry.
And rejoice.
That I can do. I can deck the halls and ring the bells and light the candles and joyfully and eagerly anticipate the imminent coming of our glorious King and His victorious righteous reign.
Maranatha.
