Come, Jesus, Come

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
-- Matthew 1:21

When they learned that Mary was with child, Joseph did not wish for her to be made a public example, and so considered hiding her away until the child was born. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel told him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the baby within her was conceived by the Holy Ghost, not by man. He assured Joseph that Mary would bear a Son, who would be the Savior of mankind.

What a glorious message! What a wonderful dream! Can you imagine how the weight suddenly lifted from Joseph's shoulders, how the burden left his heart? Can you imagine the joy he must have felt? The woman about to become his wife would bear God's own Child, Whom he would raise as his own for the Lord! What a marvelous thought!

And what a wonderful time of year for Christians the world round. We know the story, we know the history, the beginning, even the ending. More importantly, we know the story actually has no end, for our Savior defeated death, arose from His grave, and rules in heaven forever. But that is getting a little ahead of the story, the wondrous story of Christ's birth. We await that birth, anxious, yet filled with hope and praise and glorious expectation because we do indeed know how the story goes.

We await the advent of our Savior. We walk alongside the burro that Mary rides to Bethlehem, keeping pace with Joseph. We plead with Joseph's voice for some small room for her to rest within. We fill the stable manger with the softest, freshest hay we can find, covering it with clean rags for the One whose birth was heralded by angelic host. We hold Mary's hand, grip Joseph's arms, as she delivers the small Child. We look in awe upon the Messiah, the Christ, the One named Jesus. We bow, with the oxen and lambs, and honor Him. We greet the shepherds who have heard of His birth, the wise kings from far off lands who have followed a star. We watch as Mary lovingly coos and comforts the small, precious baby that is our King, God in human flesh, our Lord.

For now, we simply wait. It is all we can do to patiently sit by, for we know how the story goes. Come, Holy Spirit, come. We welcome you into our hearts. Come, baby Jesus. We await you.

Fear Not

"Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
-- Isaiah 41:10

All of us have fears, some minor, some very major. Some fears are of physical things, like spiders or snakes. Some arise because of our dread, our not being prepared for what may come. We may know something difficult lies ahead in our day and all we want to do is crawl back in bed and hide under the covers.

Our fears grow as we age. As children, we were afraid of monsters in our closet or under our bed, or the upcoming math test in school. As teens we felt dread and near panic on our first date, our first kiss. Later our fears arose from more intangible sources: our jobs, our futures, our own abilities. Will we be able to reach retirement, and will we be able to live on what we retire with? Can we protect our loved ones when the need arises? Will the boss like our proposal? Will my spouse still love me when I tell them what I did?

Questions. Fears. Dreads. Our heartbeat quickens, our breath comes in ragged gasps, our hands tremble, our spirits flag and grow weary.

Many of us fear death, for the unknown that it carries. Even those prepared in every possible way still wonder and worry about their last breath, for they fear the pain that may come with it. Yet there are some who walk among us that are not afraid of death, they may even welcome it. No, they fear life, and living one more day. Their fear is of the known, for each and every day for them is filled with pain, with suffering, with loss. They find no rest and little joy, their worlds closely resembling the trials of Job. They fear that each tomorrow may offer simply more of the same, and that becomes unbearable.

We all have fears, we are all afraid of something. But God tells us not to be afraid, that He will hold us, help us. Don't be afraid, don't despair, for He will lift us up and uphold us by His mighty and righteous hand. When we are weak, he will strengthen us. That is His promise, as relayed to us and recorded for all time by His servant Isaiah. Our Lord is there, all the time. We need only reach out to Him when we are afraid. Trust in Him when our fears threaten to overcome us. Relax and rest in His loving hands, protected from worldly woes. How can we fear death, when Jesus our Christ conquered death by His sacrifice for us? How can we fear life, when our Savior went before us to prepare a place for us beside Him for eternity? What fear or dread can life or death hold over us, when our glorious and awesome God holds us in His loving hands?

When our child awakens in the night, frightened from some nightmare, we rush to their side, hold them in our arms, and say "Hush, don't be afraid. I am here with you. I will protect you." God is saying the same thing to His frightened children. "Don't be afraid. I am here." Reach out, take His hand, trust in His strength and righteousness and grace, and fear no more.

Doing Good Pays Afterall

"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing.
But righteousness delivers from death."

-- Proverbs 10:2


How many times have you looked around you and wondered just how life works? How can some people appear to reap such great rewards, to own so many things, to have so much going for them in life, yet you know they have hurt other people along the away, you think they have lied to their own benefit, you have watched as they climbed to greater heights only by standing on the backs of others around them. And then you see someone who has done no wrong in their life, has inflicted no harm on others, yet they seem to have nothing at all to show for their lives; no grand mansions or fancy cars or remote island vacation homes. Have you even asked the Lord why this could be, where is the justice in allowing one who has wronged others to possess so much while one who stands blameless has nothing to show for it, no material rewards for goodness and doing good?

We're used to being rewarded for doing good. From an early age, some form of payment has been used to reward us for doing the right thing, and to encourage us to keep doing the right thing. Maybe our mother complimented us for cleaning our plate, or gave us a nickel for helping to set and clear the table. We got higher grades in school, and maybe a bit of cash, for studying hard and doing all our homework. We get promotions on the job, and subsequent pay raises, for working hard and helping the company stay profitable. If we do good, we expect some form of reward. So why do some who surely do good in the eyes of God not also benefit in earthly rewards?

In Proverbs, the wise king Solomon tells us that our reward for doing the right thing will be our delivery from death, that our righteousness will deliver us. This is not mortal death Solomon speaks of, but the eternal death reserved for those who do not receive God's grace, the same death that Jesus defeated after three days in the tomb. King David reiterates this message, giving additional weight to Solomon's words, when he sang, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer." (2 Samuel 22:2) God and only God, through His grace and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus the Christ, can deliver us from eternal death and allow us to live by His side in heaven for ever and ever.

Solomon tells us that the one who compromised the commandments of the Lord, who hurt others on his climb to earthly wealth, will profit nothing from the treasures he amassed. He may enjoy them on earth, during this fleeting mortal life, but his wickedness will be revealed and he will suffer death for eternity. But the humble one, the righteous one who seems to have nothing, instead has gained everything, and will live with our Lord and Master forever.

What greater reward could we ask?