I
love the expectation of Christmas. I always have. STORY: As Children we woke
up, lined up and dove under the tree.
The later we got to go to Dad’s for more.
I
expected to see Maw and Paw from Toledo. I expected to go to downtown Lazarus
and see the window displays and Santa and do secret Santa and eat at the
counter at Woolworths.
I
expected to put Christmas lights on the house. I expected to see Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer (1964) A Charlie Brown
Christmas (1965) How the Grinch Stole
Christmas (1966) Frosty the Snowman
(1969)
Then
I had expectations of the reality that this holyday was about the birth of
God’s son. Then I had expectations of the joy of my children and now a
grandchild. Christmas is a time of
expectations. Some expect it to be a time of financial stress – family issues –
the missing of loved ones – depression and loneliness. No matter how you look
at it; Christmas has always been, is and will be a time of great expectations. What
are you expecting for Christmas?
CHARLES WESLEY
In 1744, Charles
Wesley considered Haggai 2:6-7 (“This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once
more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7
I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I
will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty.”) The hymn
writer Wesley looked at the situation of orphans in the areas around him. He
also looked at the class divide in Great Britain. Through this train of
thought, he wrote a prayer at the time which had the words:
"Born Your people to
deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Your
gracious kingdom bring. By Your own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts
alone; by Your all sufficient merit, raise us to Your glorious throne.
Amen." Wesley adapted this
prayer into a hymn in 1744. He wrote with the Advent and Nativity in mind as
well as having people prepare for the EXPECTED
Second Coming
of Christ.
The hymn became
popular across Christian denominations in England through the popular Baptist preacher, Charles
Spurgeon. Spurgeon preached a Christmas sermon in London in 1855
when he was 21 that included sections of "Come thou long expected
Jesus" to illustrate his point that very few are "born king" and
that Jesus was the only one who had been born king without being a prince. Not
that he was born…and became a king – He was already the King eternal…who was then born. WOW no-one was expecting that
for Christmas. Some expected that a person would be born and anointed by God to
be the messiah, much like a prophet or king. No one could have even considered
that God would become the messiah – the pre-incarnate anointed one.
TEMPLE GLORY
Haggai moves the
people to compare the glory of Solomon’s temple built with costly materials to
the current temple built with available materials. The previous is far greater
than the current. It is the time of year when the temple is to be ready for the
greatest feasts of the year; and it is not ready. Haggai makes the people see
it is not the structure that brings it glory, rather the one who dwells there
and that the glory is as strong now as it was then and even greater in this new
day although the physical structure may not be as glorious, the reality of
God’s presence can be more so in the people who will obey Him.
Haggai calls a
disgruntled, discouraged community to work with renewed strength and without
fear. The presence of the Lord Almighty consumes the majority of the text and
gives them hope to finish the rebuilding of the temple.
The Great
expectation of the first Christmas was that the messiah was coming to dwell on
earth. The expectation of this Christmas ought to be just as strong of an
expectation that the messiah is coming to dwell in people – and not just the
people he already dwells in but always in newer temples. Jesus is always
looking for another manger – another temple in which he can take up residence
and fill that space with His Glory!!!
Mary expected Jesus
Luke 2:4-7
So Joseph also went up from the town of
Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he
belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting
a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and
she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed
him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The crowd expected Jesus (Jairus)
Luke 8:40-41
Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed
him, for they were all expecting him.
More Crowd Expectations of Jesus
Matthew 11:1-5
After Jesus had finished instructing his
twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of
Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples
to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come,
or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind
receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”
Do we expect Jesus to come again?
Luke 12:39-40
But understand this: If the owner of the
house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his
house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come
at an hour when you do not expect him.
Hanging in the
US National Gallery of Art in Washington DC is a series of four paintings by
Thomas Cole. The series is called “The Voyage of Life”. Each painting depicts a
stage of life: childhood, youth, manhood and old age.
(*) The first
painting is of childhood. It shows a mountain with a dark cave at its base and
a river flowing out of the cave. A beautiful timber boat glides out of the cave
into a world of lush vegetation, flowers in bloom and a peaceful, gentle
surface on the water. Inside the boat is a laughing baby with a Guardian Spirit
standing right behind. The painting shows childhood as a time of wonder and
joy.
(*) The second
painting is called “youth”. We see the same boat now travelled further
downstream. The baby has grown into a teenage boy. He stands in the rear,
confidently steering the boat towards a majestic white castle off in the
distance. The riverbanks are still lush and green and the Guardian Spirit
stands on those banks, watching the young man boldly chart his course. The
painting shows youth as a time of dreaming and absolute self confidence that
nothing can hold me back.
(*) In the third
painting the scene has changed dramatically. The youth has become a man, the
river has become a raging torrent, and the sky has become dark and threatening.
The castle of dreams is nowhere to be seen and the boat’s rudder has broken. Up
ahead lie treacherous rocks, with white water crashing all around them. The man
in the boat is caught up by forces he can’t control. With the rudder broken he
cannot steer his boat. All he can do is look up to the sky and pray. Meanwhile
the Guardian Spirit sits hidden in the clouds. Cole is picturing adulthood as a
time when the joy and wonder of childhood have been tamed by the difficult and
tragic experiences of life, when the confidence, boldness and expectations of
youth have been swept away by the harsh realities of life.
(*) The final
painting is called “Old Age”. The battered and weathered boat has finally
reached the ocean. The dark clouds remain but the water is still. The boat’s
occupant is now an old man, and his gaze is fixed firmly on the clouds out
there in front of him, clouds pierced by the glorious light of heaven, the
light pierced by angels coming to and fro. For the first time in his life the
man sees the Guardian Spirit that has accompanied him on his journey. It comes,
takes him by the hand and prepares him for his journey into the heavens.
In each of these
stages of life, the man in the boat had expectations. Sometimes the
expectations were wonderful and full of promise, other times they were fearful
and full of dread. What should our expectation be this Christmas and into a new
year? The
glory of Jesus in and through us for the sake of others!
Psalm 5:1-3
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my
sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In
the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before
you and wait in expectation.
"The feast of Saint Andrew invites us to ponder
his response to Christ’s call: "Come after me, and I will make you fishers
of men. At once they left their nets…" (Mt. 4:19-20). With his brother
Peter, Andrew immediately left his fishing nets to catch souls for the Kingdom.
Are we hesitating to respond to
Christ this Advent because we have a low expectation of what God can do through
us?
Haggai 2:6-7
“This is what the Lord Almighty says:
'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea
and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired
of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the Lord
Almighty.”
No comments:
Post a Comment