I had an interesting thought this morning as I read an article about advent on the Relevant Magazine website http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/deeper-walk/features/19167-the-final-countdown.
Should Christians get more excited during Advent and Christmas about the second coming of Christ than the First? I mean, I love to think about the first coming of Christ, the Creator of the world becoming a baby, the messiah's birth, the first worship services, etc, but that is history. As a follower of Christ, shouldn't my hope and life be more tied to the future than the past? I can learn from the past, but I'm living for the future. So maybe I should focus more on the second coming than the first during Christmas. I wonder how things would change if we started that shift? I mean do we even have a time in the year that we really celebrate or think about the return of the Messiah? Maybe that is something we should do all the time or the rest of the time, other than Christmas and Easter, but it doesn't seem like many Christians think or talk about it much.
In a society that is scheduled by the next holiday, I think it interesting that we Christians join in on so many pagan or national holidays so much more than the important events of the Church. The biggest event of all is yet to come, maybe that is why we don't celebrate it, but is certainly something to get excited about (and ready for).
Every year I ask God to show me something new about Christmas, so this year I'm focusing on the Second Advent - waiting in expectation for the return of the Messiah and the start of a whole new time and society. Of course this quickly reminds me that I need to share this hope and expectation with those who don't know or have it yet so that they will experience it too. This Christmas may we share the love of our God, that came as a baby, died as our Savior, and will Return again as the King of the ages.
On a side note, my kids are really enjoying a lego advent calendar this year where one kids gets to open a little door each morning and gets a little lego person or thing. It really helps count down the days till Christmas, just wish we could count down the days till the second coming. I guess thats the beauty of it. We don't know when so we need to think like it is today and/or in 100's of years.
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