Daily Devotion for December 20, 2005

Coming Soon!

 

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. Revelation 3:11-12

 

The church is ancient and wise and steadfastly holds the annual beginning of the church year, the season of Advent, as a time of awakening, repentance, and preparation for celebrating the nativity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is forever the second person of the one, holy, blessed and glorious Trinity. For us and for our eternal salvation, God the Father, sent his only begotten son to take upon him our human flesh. This season of Advent provides us time to reflect that at his first coming, our Lord came in great humility, and provides the opportunity to prepare for his second coming in glory such as this world has never seen before.

 

In our verse from the Book of Revelation, mention is given of this second coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel according to Matthew also refers to the second coming as “the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”  Matthew 24:30

 

One of my earliest childhood recollections is the impression of the season of Advent, and for years the sermons for the four Sundays in Advent concerned death, judgment, heaven, and hell. We could not place any ornaments on the tree or make any Christmas decorations until returning home after attending the Christmas Eve midnight service. The business world has vastly changed since those years, but even surrounded by the commercial decorations, let us personally endeavor to keep in ourselves this season of Advent as a time to prepare for celebrating the first coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, at
Christmas, and to be mindful of the second coming, and pray that we may so live in this life that when the chief shepherd shall appear, we may receive the crown of glory that fades not away.

 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we prepare to focus on your first coming in the flesh, help us remember that you will once again appear to take us to our eternal home!  Amen

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Tim Hetzner - President - Lutheran Church Charities
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