At Advent we look back, but the greater joy is in looking ahead
By Dean Collins
What are you hoping for this Advent season? It is easy to fall into being nostalgic at Christmastime. We bring out the tree, the ornaments, the lights from the attic or basement and go through the rituals we have practiced for decades. It is almost impossible not to do a little reminiscing about past Christmases as kids, or with our kids, and with loved ones who are no longer helping us decorate the tree. Something about Christmas always brings back memories. And there is certainly nothing wrong with remembering the past.
Advent itself includes some looking back at the promises and prophecies of God. But Advent also always prompts us to wait and to hope for something yet to be revealed.
He came and changed everything
I suppose I wouldn’t be alone in hoping that the various horrific wars and conflicts in the world would resolve peacefully. I suspect we could come up with a long list of things we hope would be more to our liking; lower interest rates, adequate savings for retirement, less stress, better health, more time with family, and on and on. There is nothing wrong with hoping for these things, but Advent is less about our preferences and more about the arrival of a person who can and does truly change everything.
Chapter 1 of 2 Peter reminds us we are not dealing with myths when we consider the coming of Jesus. We have eyewitness accounts of those who saw Jesus when he took on flesh and lived with us on earth. Peter and many others were eyewitnesses to the majesty of God in the flesh and even heard God’s voice declare that Jesus was the beloved Son with whom God was well pleased.
He came just as God promised he would come
In this first week of Advent we consider the many prophecies of the prophets of old through whom God spoke to awaken the hope of ancient Israel that he would fulfill his promise of sending the Messiah. And we also consider the prophetic word of the return of Jesus. Here’s how Peter puts it in 2 Peter 1:
“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The prophecies in both the Old and New testaments were not invented by man but inspired by the Holy Spirit. John, Peter, and Paul speak clearly about the second coming of Christ. In Advent we wait with great expectation of the day when Christ will return to restore all of creation. But Peter reminds us in the opening chapter of 2 Peter that, as partakers of the divine nature of God, we now make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.
As we enter this season of Advent our prayer can be that the Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith and fill us with anticipation of how God might use us to reveal Christ to someone who has not experienced the forgiveness and mercy of God.
Father we pray that in this Christmas season we would move past nostalgia and into action as we share the love of Christ with others. We wait in eager anticipation of how you will use us this season to reveal Christ in our local community and beyond. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
2 Peter 1:1-21 ESV
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