Advent. This singular word in terms of the Christmas holiday means coming. The coming of who, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For many during the time of Christ’s birth, they were looking to see the signs prophesied of His coming fulfilled. Many waited in wonder if those signs would come. Some awaited in fear, knowing if the manifestations did not come, then all their hope and belief would be in their eyes, for nothing. So much hope wrapped in such a tiny bundle. Would He be everything that they had hoped? Could He be the Savior of the world, the salvation for all who have lived and would ever live? Did they place their hope and belief in someone who actually would come?
We read in the Bible in Isaiah 53 some of his prophecies of the Savior and what manner of man He will be. Isaiah says in verse 2 (KJV) that the Savior is not a man of “form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” When the Savior came, we know that the Jews rejected Him, despite prophecies given that He would not be someone they desired after. They expected a triumphant hero, who the Savior is, but to the Jews, He did not look the part.
In our own lives, sometimes we expect so much of Him or have an image of who He should be that when our prayers are not answered in the way that we expect, we begin to doubt His existence or His love for us. A Christmas comparison would be of a child waiting for that one special gift from Santa and not having it under the tree on Christmas morning. The child’s belief in Santa diminishes until the point that they no longer believe he exists. As Christians, we are not exempt from this happening. We know that our prayers are answered by Christ every day in many different ways, not always in a manner in which we hope or expect, but they are answered. The key is understanding that prayers are answered in God’s way and in His own time.
We can find comfort and knowledge of this as we look at the scriptural accounts of Abraham and Sarah (Gen 21:2) or Hannah and her son Samuel (1 Sam 1) from the Bible. Both prayed for years for a child, and He answered each in His way and time. Sarah was in her nineties, and Abraham was over one hundred, yet God answered their prayers. Hannah prayed and waited fervently for a son. She promised the Lord that should He give her a son: he would be a servant of the Lord all the days of his life. Upon her prayer answered, Hannah, kept her promise with the Lord and took him to Shiloh to be with the priest Eli. She got to see him once a year as they made their way to the feast at Shiloh, yet she did not go back on her promise, and the Lord did not go back on His. To pray all that time and to only have your child for a small portion would have been hard, but Hannah knew God heard her and answered her prayer. Abraham and Sarah knew God had heard and responded to their prayers. From the scriptural accounts above, surely we can pull from and understand that even in our most arduous trials, God hears and answers our prayers.
At this time of Advent, we celebrate the birth of the Savior coming into the world. As we acknowledge the birth of the one who would redeem us all from the fall, let us take a moment to reflect on what that means in our lives individually. Isaiah testifies of who the Savior is and what He ultimately came to do. He came to redeem us all from a life of endless woe. One in which we could not return to our Father in Heaven because we could not satisfy on our own the demands of justice that God requires. Isaiah teaches that the Savior was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief […]. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows […]. He was wounded for our transgressions, [and] bruised for our iniquities […], and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53: 3-5, King James Version).
There is no one better to succor us, to guide, or to uphold us in all times, things, and places than Christ. With the current global pandemic, now more than ever is a time for us to each turn to Christ and recall the humble birth of the Savior of us all. Recall the life that He lived, one of service and love toward all men no matter their background. Recall what He did for all on the cross at Calvary. Advent means coming, a celebration of the coming of the Savior of the world into the Earth. The anticipated arrival of the only one who knows how to help us entirely in everything we are going through and who created a way for us to return to our heavenly home. Advent and Christmas are not about the presents nor the decorations. They are about the birth of the Christ child and the one gift given to all of us that we have a choice to receive daily, Him.
“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.” (Isaiah 9:6, King James Version).
Our Father in Heaven, we thank thee at this time for the matchless gift of thy Son, Jesus Christ. We thank thee for sending Him into the world to atone for the sins of all, past, present, and future. We are grateful for the opportunity we have this advent season to celebrate the birth of Christ and recognize and give thanks for all that He has done and will do for us individually. We are grateful that we have this knowledge, and we pray as we go forward this day that we may share the love of thee and thy son with all we meet, whether that be through our words or our actions. We are grateful for thy continued guidance and thy mercy as we strive on the path to return to thee. We pray for those that may be struggling at this time that they may find solace in their minds and their hearts this season. Finally, we pray for Father, those that are lost, that they may find their way back to thee and thy son and come back into thy fold. In the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.