How did we miss Him?... I've gotten hooked on Bible Journaling this year. I love the craftiness part, but I also love how much more connected to the Word I feel. There's something 'magical' that happens when the hand and mind are focused on the same thing ...
During December I've been going through an Advent study about the Promises and the Fulfillment of those promises (prophecies) in Jesus Christ. First, I never knew what 'Advent' was about or what it meant. Turns out, Advent means 'the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.' For Christians, this is obviously celebrating the arrival of Jesus, our Savior.
So why, having been raised in a Christian home, and being a 'believer' my whole life, have I never known about 'Advent?' I'm pretty sure the main reason is because the Churches of Christ do not celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus. In fact, the church(es) of my childhood and young adulthood, went out of their way to prove that Jesus couldn't have been born in December. (And, of course, the Bible doesn't give us an exact date - does it really matter? The point is to celebrate the birth of our Savior! Immanuel, God with us... Without his 'birth,' there would have been no perfect life, no death on the cross to pay for our sins, no resurrection to conquer death and give us hope of eternal life!
We wonder as we read the Bible, how so many people and especially the religious leaders 'missed' recognizing the promised Messiah's arrival. But then, it's not so hard to believe because we have both the prophecies and their fulfilment written down - and we allowed ourselves to miss it...miss Him.
I have loved the Advent study of the Promises. I have loved celebrating Jesus' birth. I'm sorry I missed it for all those years by being misled.
One thing is for sure. While many may have missed his first coming, No one will miss Him when He comes again.
During December I've been going through an Advent study about the Promises and the Fulfillment of those promises (prophecies) in Jesus Christ. First, I never knew what 'Advent' was about or what it meant. Turns out, Advent means 'the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.' For Christians, this is obviously celebrating the arrival of Jesus, our Savior.
So why, having been raised in a Christian home, and being a 'believer' my whole life, have I never known about 'Advent?' I'm pretty sure the main reason is because the Churches of Christ do not celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus. In fact, the church(es) of my childhood and young adulthood, went out of their way to prove that Jesus couldn't have been born in December. (And, of course, the Bible doesn't give us an exact date - does it really matter? The point is to celebrate the birth of our Savior! Immanuel, God with us... Without his 'birth,' there would have been no perfect life, no death on the cross to pay for our sins, no resurrection to conquer death and give us hope of eternal life!
We wonder as we read the Bible, how so many people and especially the religious leaders 'missed' recognizing the promised Messiah's arrival. But then, it's not so hard to believe because we have both the prophecies and their fulfilment written down - and we allowed ourselves to miss it...miss Him.
I have loved the Advent study of the Promises. I have loved celebrating Jesus' birth. I'm sorry I missed it for all those years by being misled.
One thing is for sure. While many may have missed his first coming, No one will miss Him when He comes again.
The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel,and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died believing in Christ will rise first. After that those of us who are still alive will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).Maranatha ...Lord, come quickly.
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