Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Matthew 11:3 "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
JESUS IS THE COMING ONE
"THE COMING ONE" was one of the Old Testament names for the Messiah, the promised Savior. This is still a wonderfully appropriate name for our Lord because He came as promised, He comes through Word and Sacrament, and He will come again in glory.
Jesus came to restore lost sinners to God's family, to give us life for death --- eternal life in the new creation. He who came to "seek and to save the lost" looks forward to coming again and saying,
'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world'
In the earliest days of the Christian Church the focus was fixed on Christ's Return to such an extent that they did not make a point of celebrating His birth. But we don't need to stop celebrating Christmas in order to look forward to Christ's Return.
In fact, as we look toward Judgment Day our great comfort -- the heart of our hope -- is that HE WHO COMES is the same ONE Who came in Bethlehem, Who took our flesh and bore our sorrows
Who came to live and die in our place,
Who forgives our sins and gives us His righteousness.
We do not confess "from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead" with fear and trembling because
HE WHO COMES IS THE ONE WHO CAME
to redeem those who were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption as sons. 