Christmastime is Practice for Jesus’ Return

Jesus’ second coming is actually talked about more in the New Testament than His first. We Christians make an enormous deal out of Christmas – and we should! – the Incarnation of God on earth was the event on which all of human history pivots! But Jesus Himself repeatedly called people to look ahead to His second coming.

Transcript

Jesus’ second coming is actually talked about more in the New Testament than His first.  We Christians make an enormous deal out of Christmas – and we should! – the Incarnation of God on earth was the event on which all of human history pivots!  But Jesus Himself repeatedly called people to look ahead to His second coming.

Let’s look together at how the Second Arrival of Jesus is described for us in several places in the New Testament.  And as we read, I want to invite you to soak in these words; drink them in; absorb them together with me…

Matthew 24:30-31 says, “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.  And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Luke 12:35-40 says, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.  Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

In John 14:1-3, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house, there are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

And Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

Our annual rehearsal of the Advent pattern at Christmas – that sacred rhythm of Preparation, Anticipation, Arrival, & Response – it reminds us that Jesus is coming again – this time, to usher in His full, final, and complete victory over sin, death, the grave, hell, and all the forces of evil that war against our eternal souls and His eternal will.

And so, each year, Christmas is practice for the Second Coming – for Jesus’ return to set all of creation fully and finally free from the clutches and consequences of brokenness and sin.  Christmas is our annual reminder to live with Expectation.  To be an expectant people.  To ready ourselves for His Arrival again.