Great Expectations

The Christian calendar tells us that we are in the Season of Advent.  Advent is all about expectations.  The word “Advent” means “coming” or “arrival”.  The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Christ - the first “coming” – as well as our anticipation of the return of Christ in His second “coming”.

These days, I’m learning a lot about the process of “expecting”.  I’m expecting to be a grandma for the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th time all in the next few months!  But truthfully, I've got the easy part.  My daughter and daughter-in-law and their spouses have a lot more preparation that must be done before the event occurs.   But all throughout the preparation time, there is an anticipation that is building.  We can’t wait to see those little babies, and to be able to hold them and love them and call them by name.  This same anticipation or yearning is what Advent is calling us to focus upon.  It is preparation for what is to come. 

When we prepare for something – we make ready – one definition of Webster’s says “to make oneself ready.”  This has to be done in advance of the event.  If my daughter and daughter-in-law did not do anything in advance of the coming of their babies, they would not be ready for their arrival, and there would be chaos!  But much has to be done in advance.  In the same way, in advance of Christ’s coming, we need to make ourselves ready to meet Him.  We cannot wait until the Bride arrives to get ready (Matthew 25:1-13).  We have to keep the “pre” in “preparation”. 

John the Baptist filled this role in the coming of the Messiah.  He was sent out to be the one to prepare the people for Christ’s message (Luke 1:17; 3:4-16).   They had been longing for a Messiah for generations, and John came to tell them the time had come for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

As the children of Israel prepared and watched with great expectation for the coming of the Messiah, let us prepare our hearts this Christmas season and celebrate that He has come!