Come, Lord Jesus

The Jewish people of old waited several thousand years for the coming of Jesus. They knew the ancient prophecies about Jesus being born of a virgin, but they could not fathom how or when. So, they waited and prayed that they might live to see this long-anticipated Savior.

During the season of Advent we, too, wait for the Savior to come. It is only four weeks, but it is hard to focus on Jesus’ birth and the mystery that it holds amid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.  We wait in wonder and expectation as the liturgies and readings of Advent remind us of the birth in Bethlehem.

The historical Jesus came on earth over two thousand years ago, born in the poverty of a stable and adored by poor shepherds. In our day, we pray for the coming of Jesus more fully into our lives. For that coming to happen requires preparation and a conversion of heart. We need time to focus on how to let Jesus guide our ways and show us how to be Christ for others today. That occurs not by giving expensive gifts or fancy bonbons, but by hollowing out a place in our hearts where we can hear the cry of the poor.

The shepherds who came to the stable to find the Baby Jesus were smelly and rough-looking, not people we would choose to be the first adorers. It is likely we, too, will find Jesus in the simplest of places and the most ordinary of people. As we reach out to the homeless, the victims of war, those with special needs, the lonely, and the forgotten, we become a light for others.

A local church in Atchison is honoring those who are providing light in the darkness and evil of our world by their acts of kindness and generosity. We can all be lights spreading hope and peace. As we await Christ’s coming again, we sing: Come Lord Jesus, Come!