In this season we celebrate advent or Christmas. “Advent is a four-week season of reflective preparation for Christ’s Nativity at Christmas and Christ’s expected return in the Second Coming. Each week of Advent focuses on a different theme – hope, peace, joy, and love.” [1]

Although Christmas has become a commercialized season about buying and giving gifts, going above and beyond decorating your house, we cannot let the real meaning of this season pass by unnoticed. In the Christmas season we celebrate that God, the creator of heaven an earth, gave us His loved son, to rescue us and free us from a sinful life and its consequences.

We all know this well known verse from Isaiah 9.6,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” KJV

This story of redemption that included His death on the cross, His resurrection, and later His ascension to the Father in heaven, did not end there. He is coming back.

Although it has been over two thousand years, we cannot lose heart, but we must remain hopeful and filled with faith awaiting His return. As the angels told the disciple when Jesus Christ ascended,

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts 1.11 NLT

Hallelujah!!!

God is faithful and He keeps His promises. There are verses that speaks of His faithfulness and character.

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23.19 NKJV

He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romand 4.21 NLT

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. 2 Timothy 2:13 NLT

We cannot lose heart and lose our focus. We cannot do what many believers and church communities have done throughout the ages. We must continue to work and advance the kingdom, by preaching the gospel, healing the sick, raising the dead, being salt and light to a dying world that needs hope and liberty. We can remain hopeful and eagerly wait His return by doing what He assigned and called us to do.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28.18-20 NKJV 

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. Philippians 3:20 NLT

Let’s wait filled with hope and expectation that He is coming back as He and the Father promised, while working to advance His kingdom and reach as many people with the gospel as we can.

Footnotes:

[1] https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-advent.html