| DECEMBER 1, 2020 -- I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. Psalm 130
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. The Letter of James, Chap. 5.
The season of Advent, which starts four Sundays before Christmas [often the first Sunday of December, but this year the last Sunday of November], is characterized by being a period of waiting. It is a remembrance of the many years of waiting of the Hebrew people for the arrival of the Messiah, the promised one of Israel. The prophets proclaimed two things about the Messiah: that he would call us all to repentance and atone for our sins through suffering, and that he would bring about a new order in which peace would reign throughout the world.
For Christians, the birth of Jesus Christ fulfill that promise partly, but not completely. The first half has been accomplished, but we still wait for the second. Thus Christians are still waiting: for the second coming when Christ will appear in Power and Glory to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Jesus himself proclaimed that his coming was not the end of the story. He said:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).
So, we continue to wait, patiently, for that second coming. How long? Nobody knows. We are assured by faith that it will come, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps many hundreds of years in the future. We are told “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (…) Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” Matthew 24
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