December 12

Longings (Part II)

Have you ever said something only to hear someone else say the same thing...but a little better? I came across this writing by Joni Eareckson Tada today about longings at Christmas.  I trust this will encourage you in your advent journey.

"God announced his intentions about the Messiah when he made a promise to Abraham.  And what did Abraham do?  Romans 4:3 tells us that he believed God.  That's all he needed to do.  The rest was credited to him as righteousness. But I wonder how Abraham felt two weeks later. Or months later.  How did his children feel many years later? And what about his descendants, thousands of years later? How long did these people wait before they finally stopped believing? The fact is, many did stop believing. They had no faith. They didn't reckon that God was the promise keeper. As a result, they had no righteousness to their credit.  But others continued to believe. They dreamed of the day, they hoped for the future, they put their confidence in the promise of God. These, no doubt, were the ones who recognized Christmas when it happened.  These were the ones who knew Jesus. These were the ones who waited for the promise. Zechariah, in Luke 1, said, 'Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come...(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)...to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham' (Luke 1:68, 70, 72-73).  On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise.  Yes, the Saviour has come, and with him peace on earth, but the story is not finished.  Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long of peace in our world.  Every Christmas is still a 'turning of the page' until Jesus returns.  Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that draws us closer to...home.  When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to his glorious return to earth.  When we see him as he is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be 'Christmas' indeed!...Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen.  If you've got a Christmas longing, you're about to be satisfied, too.  Just hold on and say with me...Maranatha!  Come Lord!"