During the Christmas season we wait. We wait in traffic. We wait in
checkout lines to purchase gifts. We wait for family to arrive. We wait to
gather around a table filled with our favorite foods. We wait to open presents
lovingly chosen.
All of this waiting can be a reminder to Christians that Christmas is a
celebration of waiting for something much more important than holiday
traditions. Like the ancient Israelites, we too are waiting for Jesus. Although
He already came as the long-awaited Messiah, He has not yet come as ruler over
all the earth. So today we wait for Christ’s second coming.
Christmas reminds us that God also waits . . . He waits for people to
see His glory, to admit that they are lost without Him, to say yes to His love,
to receive His forgiveness, to turn away from sin. While we wait for His second
coming, He waits for repentance. What seems to us like God’s slowness in coming
is instead His patience in waiting (2 Peter 3:9).
The Lord is waiting to have a relationship with those He loves. He made the first move when He came as baby Jesus and the sacrificial Lamb. Now He waits for us to welcome Him into our lives as Savior and Lord.
God patiently keeps His promises. (RBC)
