1st of 2 Entries- This is the light and subdued one. :)
As my fingers tap away, I hear the tick tock of our Cuckoo clock.
Each moment, each second vocalizing its passing.
“Now. now. Now. now. Now. now.”
Now is now and then it’s gone. Like a vapor. A breath. It disappears.
Time - this mysterious, unfathomable faceless thing. It dictates. It measures, giving us days, weeks, seasons, eras. It is a intangible page upon which the chapters of history are written, and more soberingly, it's an invisible set of parentheses that hold the dates of our birth and dates of our death within its arms. It seems to have some type of authority, doesn't it? But it doesn't. No it doesn't. It is a creation. Something our Creator thought we needed.
The time now is roughly 7 o’clock. Today is Jan. 6, 2023. It is Epiphany, or as we celebrated overseas, Three Kings Day, a day that used to be observed, at one point, as Christmas. It’s nothing in the US, but in parts of Europe, a day off, and an excuse to take long walks, pack up decorations, and eat large sweet breads while playing a game of finding a coveted almond within (winners wearing cardstock gold crowns).
There’s a lot of info about this wee holiday that one can easily google. The key element is the remembrance of the wise men meeting Jesus. They, also known as the Magi, were prepared to meet a very majestic King, who was the foretold Messiah of the Israelites, honoring him with the rare and priceless gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. It wasn’t happenstance. For these guys, it wasn’t a guess. It was a certainty fueled by the appearance of a bright and unusual star. They had to have planned, strategized, considered the logistics, and estimated the funds and resources that it would take to execute a long journey that would require weeks if not months of food, supplies, load bearing animals, and necessary and skilled personnel. As the result of careful study and deliberation over scrolls and scriptures, prophecies, and data, and more than that, a drive and intentionality, driven by, I believe, God Himself, God would ultimately lead them to… His Son.
They had been waiting a long, long time, these Wise Men. It’s not absolutely certain, but some Biblical scholars point to the prophet Daniel and the remaining Jewish Messianic influence in the former Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empire as the likely source of the information the Magi had to go by. This info from the Prophets’ scriptures was passed on to them, perhaps hundreds of years before, pointing to this moment, to this life altering glorious experience of coming face to face with THE King of All Kings, the Anointed One.
Not simply these Magi, but the Jews as a whole, had been waiting a long, long, long time. They had been waiting for a king, a prince, the Messiah, the Savior, someone to save them from evil and oppression, to give them hope. They were anticipating a Rescuer, a mighty leader, a powerful king. And he came. God sent Him. It’s just that he didn’t appear in a manner in which they had imagined. He arrived as a baby. He would go on to live as a boy, a teen, a humble man. He would work, teach, guide. He would fulfill centuries old prophecies by the wonders of his life and ministry and by dying a terrible death. Powerfully, He would resurrect. He would live again.
Now. Now, He lives.
Ok, so Advent 2022 and Christmas have come and gone, and it seems like a blog topic that should’ve been entered about 6 weeks ago, “Advent, a remembrance of Jesus’ first arrival.” But my friends, we are in another Advent, once again anticipating His arrival…His Return. We are in Second Advent. With weary hearts, we are waiting, awaiting, the One who has the power and authority to make it all right, finally right. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “The Celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” We are looking not for some thing but Someone greater to come. In contrast to the Wise Men, this time, we know EXACTLY who we are looking for... Jesus.
Here we are, no doubt with much to be thankful for, in this unusual, and dare I say bizarre, season of 2022-2023. Knowing that what gives real joy is a relationship with the Saviour, I concurrently recognize that we are people who are troubled in soul, poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come, here in the Second Advent, awaiting His return. Will it be tonight? Will it be tomorrow? Will it be in September or next year. Will it be in 10 or 20 years, or will I die before that day and then my children and grandchildren will carry the flame of anticipation. No one knows, however, my spirit senses it’s imminency, and I'm confident that I'm not the only one. But like the Magi, yea, better than the Magi, we have information. We have the guide. We can discern the times and the seasons. We can see the signs. God told us what to look for. We simply seek Him, His Spirit, and ask Him to help us understand Him, His Word.
That being said, there IS something that doesn’t have to wait. Although, here in the midst of our complicated modern era we are still searching, still seeking. With every modern convenience literally at our fingertips, we are still at our core not satisfied. Whether we know it or not, we are “missing something”. We are endlessly searching for THAT thing that will bring us happiness, value, significance. Very few are consciously aware that there is a piece missing within them. I believe that missing piece is God… specifically reconciliation, restoration, and relationship with our Creator, through Jesus Christ, who loves us as no other. This is a wait that can end. Now. This moment.
Talk to God. Surrender your heart.
Turn from your old self, your old ways.
Follow Him.
Follow the King.
Give Him a gift.
Give Him your heart.
Now, now. Now now. Now, now.