“Besides this you
know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake up from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when
we first believed. The night is far
gone; the day is at hand. So then let us
cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Romans 13:11-13
The Advent season will begin anew in a few short days. It’s a time for living in the forgiveness of
sins that God offers us daily through the life, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. It’s a time to be thankful
and expectant as we look forward to Christ’s return in glory. And according to Paul – it is time to “wake
up” and to “put on Christ”.
The Christian author, Max Lucado writes, “Don’t be troubled
by the return of Christ. Don’t be
anxious about things you cannot comprehend.
For the Christian, the return of Christ is not a riddle to be solved or
a code to be broken, but rather a day to be anticipated.”
Advent is the season of expectancy – looking forward to
something God is doing. What could
possibly be new and exciting about the season of Advent, you say? “We go through it every year!”
Well, because of what God has already done – the sending of
His Son on that first Advent to become the Word made flesh to live, die, and
rise from the dead to pay for our sin and redeem us for salvation as His
adopted children – we are to “wake up” to what God is doing right now to bring
this same salvation to the world around us.
God is with us through the means of grace – Word and Sacrament –
strengthening and nourishing us for life in Him.
That’s the excitement and the expectancy of Advent. Christ comes to us. He is Immanuel – God with us! In and amongst the darkness of our world,
Christ comes to us and abides with us.
He has given us the gift of salvation that is ours now! The day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works or darkness
and put on the armor of light.
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