Monday, December 7, 2015
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
THE ADVENT OF OUR KING
How's your Christmas list coming along? I'm not asking about your gift list of items you might want to unwrap from family or friends, but your Christmas list of items you "must" have done before you meet your family or friends at Christmas. Loved ones coming for the holidays can be stressful! Then why do we make these lists? Isn't because we are excited about seeing them and want to be ready?
The Children of Israel knew of God's promise of a coming King, a Savior of their people and nation. However, the people often misunderstood what kind of king God had promised. God's prophets like Zechariah had been predicting the advent of their King for centuries and with such great detail! But God's people at that time had the same problem as we often do today. It is all too easy to be distracted with our lists of what we "must" get done. But it's not just family or friends we want to be ready for, it's God's Son Jesus Christ, our King and the Savior of the world! Jesus came to forgive you and me our oft repeated sins of misplaced priorities. The one's that overcome us when we don't fear, love, and trust in God above all things. And the prophet Zechariah alerts our attention to this joyful preparation, "Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation!"
As we continue to check off our Christmas list, let's be sure that preparations for Christ our King remain at on the top of that list! Check yours to be sure.
The advent of our King,
Our prayers shall now employ,
And we shall hymns of welcome sing
In strains of holy joy!
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 68:1; Charles Coffin, 1736)
