Today is the first Sunday in Advent. The word “Advent” comes from a Latin word that means “coming” or “arriving,” and it is good for Christians to think about Jesus Christ coming into the world and into our lives. We can think of His coming in three tenses- past, present, and future.
In the past tense, we think of His coming at His Birth. This is the coming of the Lord longed for by Isaiah and other prophets. It is the coming announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel and pointed to by John the Baptist. This manifestation of God the Son is what we commemorate in a special way in December. It is fitting for us to recall Christ’s historic coming into the world as the divine Word made flesh. We consider all that He did, all that He taught, and all that His earthly life means for our redemption. Remembering His first coming is the essential foundation of the Christian faith.
Secondly, we think of Jesus Christ coming in the present tense. Sometimes, we tend to overlook this coming of Christ into our lives. He comes repeatedly. He keeps being born anew in our hearts. Jesus speaks of this ongoing presence at many places in the Scriptures. For example, in Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” In Matthew 28:20, He promises His followers, “and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” In Revelation 3:20, He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Through His Word, through the work of His Holy Spirit, and through the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, Jesus Christ comes to us many times in many ways. He asks us to be open to Him and allow Him to dwell in our hearts, minds, and souls. He asks us to be His body and continue His presence and work in this world as He watches over us and intercedes for us from the Father's right hand.
Thirdly, as we remember Christ’s coming in the past and His repeated coming to us in this present life, we also look to His future coming. Our Lord has promised many places in Scripture that He will come again at the end of earthly history. This is a basic affirmation of all Christians. Christ will come to establish His universal divine rule. He will come both in mercy and in justice to set this fallen creation right. He will gather His people from all times and places into the fullness of eternal life.
This is a great hope and a strengthening truth for believers. Unfortunately, some Christians have gone a little crazy over the details. There have been wild speculations and unfounded claims. Some have even gone against the Bible by claiming to know the day or the hour. But as our Lord says in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” And so as He adds in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
As Christians, we should always be prepared and be preparing anew for our Lord. We should be humble enough and faithful enough to avoid too much speculation. Instead, we should focus on what we can do as we await the future. And what we can do is accept the grace available to live in ways attuned to Christ, spiritually and morally. We are called to continue in faith, hope, and love. That is the proper spiritual way to prepare for our Lord’s final coming.
In summary, the days leading up to the observance of Jesus’ Birth or Nativity should be a time of renewed devotion and spiritual preparation. We can think and reflect on the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and into our lives. Christ came in history 2000 years ago, Christ keeps coming to us again and again, and Christ will come again in final victory and glory. Let us be open to Him in all these ways and live in spiritual preparation each day.
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