The People of Christmas, Part 1

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (1 Peter 1:10-12)

(As a departure from the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love, several years ago I did an Advent devotional series on the People of Christmas - The Prophets, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds. I will be sharing these devotions over these four Sundays leading up to Christmas.)

The Prophets

The first people of the Christmas story are the prophets, who foretold of the coming of Christ centuries before He actually appeared. These prophets waited patiently for God to fulfill His promise to send a Messiah, the one who would deliver God’s people from all that oppressed them.

None of these prophets ever lived to see the advent of Jesus. But that didn’t stop them from looking forward to the day that He would come, knowing that even if it happened after they were gone, it would still be for the benefit of future generations.

We, too, should learn to wait patiently for God to fulfill His promise to us: that one day, whether in our lifetime or afterward, He will send Jesus back to take us home to Heaven, where we will spend eternity with Him. Let us never lose sight of that promise as we labor here on Earth.

Prayer:

God of our past, our present, and our future, we thank you that you have promised to come back for us, so that we can live in expectant anticipation of the day when we will be with you for all eternity. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David