Luke 21:20-28
In the film “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” Will Ferrell plays a man with a particular view of Jesus, one which his wife Carley questions:
Ricky: Dear Tiny, Infant, Jesus...
Carley: Hey, um, sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him baby. It's a bit odd and off-puttin' to pray to a baby.
Ricky: Look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I'm sayin' grace. When you say grace, you can say it to Grownup Jesus or Teenage Jesus or Bearded Jesus or whoever you want.
If we’re not careful we can let the season of Advent become only about the “Christmas Jesus” and forget that we are also waiting for Jesus’ second coming and the fulfillment of God’s reign. And it’s no wonder. The “Christmas Jesus” is sweet and innocent and we know about his life, what will happen and when. But the Jesus of the second coming is…well, we don’t know what he’s like and we don’t really know what to expect. So we, like Ricky Bobby, would probably prefer to think about the “Christmas Jesus”, especially at this time of year.
But Paul and Jesus himself want us to keep the second coming very much in mind. “Now concerning the times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you,” says Paul. “For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). According to Luke, Jesus told his followers, “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Something that comes like “a thief in the night” may be less pleasant to think about than a birth celebrated shepherds and wise men, but Advent is just as much about Jesus’ second coming as his first. Unless we keep that in mind we are only engaged in half of the season.
Prayer: Lord, help us to live with expectation and hope, not only as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but as we look for the Son’s return as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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