6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
As we approach the beginning of Advent something dawned on me with this time period. I as many believers do not know the importance of Advent. In fact I found myself not even really knowing what it is or it's importance. Is it just a Catholic time frame like Lent or is it more like the longing of the coming of the Messiah during Passover?
The truth is it is both and yet neither. It is so far greater than our imagination.
IT IS THE COMING OF OUR KING, OUR GOD AND OUR MAKER!
As I frequent my nearest Starbucks I noticed the cute little houses for Advent. I thought, “How cool and neat that is.” When I looked at it, it is so much more than the cute little Advent Calendar. Let me explain.
What is Advent you may ask? Well it is the longing, the desire and the anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. It is celebrated with the start being four Sundays prior to Christmas, December 25. With each week prior, the anticipation is celebrated in a different way.
Just as Palm Sunday is celebrated so is Advent in the same way. This is what is so cool about Starbucks, Target or any other large chain that sells the Advent Calendar. They are professing the Messiah’s Coming and may not even realize it. Scripture tells us that God’s Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
As I sit here writing this blog I am just as emotional and passionate about the coming of the Messiah as I am sitting in the presence of God.
A little over four years ago Hillsong put out a song called “You’ll Come.” Over the past couple months my church has been playing this song. I heard part of this song about 6 months ago but could never figure out what the song was called or even who sang it. Then there it was right in the middle of service.
The song goes a little like this.
“You’ll Come”- Hillsong
Verse 1
I have decided I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer shield and reward
I'll wait upon you Lord
Pre Chorus
As surely as the sun will rise
You'll come to us
As certain as the dawn appears
Chorus
You'll come let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit rain flood into our thirsty hearts again
I have decided I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer shield and reward
I'll wait upon you Lord
Pre Chorus
As surely as the sun will rise
You'll come to us
As certain as the dawn appears
Chorus
You'll come let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit rain flood into our thirsty hearts again
I have decided…to wait upon the Lord. As surely as the sun will rise you’ll come to us. What better news can we have than waiting upon the Lord, the Messiah to come to us? Know that when He comes all the chains that hold us down will be broken and all of the sorrow and pain will have healing and joy. When all of this happens Christ, our Messiah WILL be revealed.
When I hear this song my spirit is so moved with excitement and anticipation. Oh to be in the presence of our God and Savior.
Imagine just a minute if you will. Imagine receiving an invitation to have dinner with the most famous person you could dream of spending 3 hours at dinner with. I am not saying being in the same building; no I mean sitting right across from that person and being able to ask any question that may be vexing you direct without interference.
Now imagine that magnified by 50 times. This is what I am talking about. Now imagine being in the presence of one; the Messiah. The one who made you and knew you before your very existence. This is how we need to be each Advent, each day we attend service and moreover each day we arise knowing we are waiting in anticipation of THE MESSIAH!
What will you see, what are you expecting? Are you looking for a healing? Are you looking for a mended heart? Maybe you are just looking for a Savior. He is all that and more!
So with Advent around the corner what will YOUR Advent Event look like? Will it be another day or will it be a time to see God move in your life, in your family, in your work or in your legacy?
It is up to you. A SAVIOR IS COMING!
CAL
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