December 15th- by: Mark Weinstein

Are You Ready?

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory? For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7)

Are you ready? No doubt this is a question that Christians have been asking themselves and others for centuries. Now I know that the scope of this question as it pertains to our church’s advent season was certainly a bit smaller than that which I have already alluded to, but I have a difficult time contemplating any given question without looking beyond the here and now. My personality dictates that I must overanalyze almost all ponderings (just ask my wife). So in saying that, I wish to take that question just a little beyond the obvious.

Each year people the world over ready themselves for the coming Christmas season. The myriad of tasks that are commonplace in preparation include: gift lists are made, financial considerations are taken into account, trees trimmed, cookies baked, houses decorated, invitations and cards mailed, family pictures taken, and of course church services and programs are thought out and rehearsed. While these are all wonderful and necessary (hmm) activities, we must think beyond Christ’s birthday and begin to think of Christmas as the “so much more” that it deserves. Let me explain.

Christmas is the day chosen by society on which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I say “chosen” because that is just what it is. Along about the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. Romans Catholics, in an effort to convert pagans of the time to Christianity, introduced (Christ’s birthday was never honored before this) a holiday to fall concurrently with an already established week of pagan celebration (biblically we know that December 25 is not the actual day of birth of Christ, but that is entirely a different subject). Given this, Christmas was born and has grown to what it is today. But what does Christmas really signify?

I propose this thought: What if we come to celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ (His 1st coming) in conjunction with His impending 2nd coming? Think about it. Each year we will set aside the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Shepherd, and even more, as a time to contemplate and prepare for His glorious return. No longer do we simply celebrate the life that Christ lived, but we look forward to the life we will live with Christ when he returns to bring all believers to His kingdom. Given those statements, we see that this holiday becomes so much richer in rewards, expectations, and responsibilities.

What rewards are we to expect? Right from the lips of Christ we are told “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). No more are we to worry about what is to come. For life, a new life will continue forever. How joyous that occasion will be when the Lamb comes to reclaim His own and with Him brings the promise of life everlasting. But that is not all. We are also promised that this infinite life will be spent in the unrelenting presence of God Almighty Himself. All things old will be made new and clean. Sin will forever be gone from the world. An eternity of worshipping the Lord our God without pain, tears, death, and sorrow, will ensue (Rev 21:3-5). No gift on earth can equal that which the great I Am will impart upon us as we ascend into His bosom.

I mentioned expectations though; so what of them? As with any great reward there is work to be done before the reaping can begin. Our Lord speaks many times of the work we are to do while in this carnal world, yet constantly He reminds us of the rewards that lie in wait as a result. God, through the words of Isaiah says “…my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands” (65:22). Let us now and hence forth do God’s work. We know our tasks; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt 22:37), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39), and finally “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38). These are all things that we have committed our life as Christians to and so the work is easy. Each day brings us a promise for tomorrow and with it a knowledge that we must live as Christ would live. To be loved one must love, and to love one must give of themselves. These simple words work in our lives to ensure our entry into a time of never-ending bliss, and an assurance of salvation through the grace of God.

Making these transitions to a God centered Christmas isn’t easy though. Society puts so much pressure on us to be consumer minded. Stimulate the economy, they tell us. Christmas is slowly becoming the holiday season and no more. Many know nothing of the true nature of the promises that are spoken to during this time of year. But we do. The glory that awaits is an occasion for us to celebrate each and every day. Once a year though, we are lucky enough to share with the world the atoning quality of the 1st coming of our Lord, and eagerly anticipate life eternal through His return. All that we do points towards our inevitable future in an unimaginable place. “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Rev 21:21).

“And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev 22:21)
Are you ready? I am!

Blessed be those in Christ,

Mark A. Weinstein