We Wait
“And you, my child, will be called a
prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way
for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness
of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun
will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the
shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
– Luke 1:76-79
The stores are finally closing. Traffic is slowing
down. Take a deep breath. Christmas is almost here.
It was never supposed to be this way. The hustle and
bustle. All the gifts for ourselves and others. Christmas was never about that.
It was always about a child, a baby born to save us all.
John the Baptist knew his role from the very beginning.
These verses are part of the prophecy Zechariah gave over his son. The words
were a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Remember Zechariah had doubts when the angel Gabriel
came to give him the news that Elizabeth would give birth to a son. For that
reason, Zechariah remained silent, unable to speak, until after John was born.
Zechariah learned a few things on his journey. He
learned never to question any message God sends through his angels. And he
learned that sometimes the greatest among us are the ones who lead the way.
That was John’s job in life. He was to point others
toward Jesus. Nothing more. Nothing less. He would come to say later in his
life that he would decrease as Jesus increased. It was never about John and he
knew that.
It’s not about us either. Do we know that? In the
midst of this holiday do we understand that we are here to glorify God, to praise
Him, to lead others to know Christ as Lord and Savior? Do we understand our
purpose?
I’ve certainly got nothing against a beautiful tree
surrounded by gifts. I love the gathering of family and friends. I enjoy the
food a little more than I should. But the challenge comes when we get so
involved in all those things that we miss the coming of the Lord.
Do we see the baby in the manger? Can we imagine his
cries? He left heaven for this so that we might be free from the sins that
doomed us to eternal death. He came out of love for us. Do we love Him in
return? Do we understand in the silence of the night that our lives are meant
to point others to Him?
Our church has a beautiful Christmas Eve service.
There is lots of merriment and singing of Christmas carols. But the end really
brings it back to what’s important. After communion, we pass the light around
the dark room. Silence echoes as each person lights the candle held by the
person next to him. It is in that moment that we remember. We wait quietly,
expectantly, for the sound of a newborn crying in the night.
Jesus. Messiah. Savior. King. Lord. Emmanuel.
Come.
No comments:
Post a Comment