His Coming – Week Two

The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord. – Henri Nouwen

Jesus came. He took on flesh and lived and walked among us. And He is coming again. During this season of Advent, when Christians worldwide set aside time to focus on this truth – what should our response be?

Chapter 1 of Luke’s gospel is among my favorite in all Scripture. The angel Gabriel interrupts the ordinary days of a few faithful God-followers, and the world is never the same.  

In reflecting on this familiar story, I am struck with one word – preparation. First, Gabriel appears to Zacharias with these words, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard…” (Luke 1:13 NASB). 

Long before Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth became parents of John, they prayed and lived faithfully. Of all the Jewish men and women, these two caught the attention of heaven and were given a holy assignment. According to the angel, their son would “turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God” and “make a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:16-17)

Before Jesus’s earthly minister began, John did the work of preparation. Before Zecharias parented this forerunner to Jesus, He lived a life of preparation. And before we see Jesus’s transformation in our lives, we too must do the work of preparation. 

As most of you know, Zecharias wasn’t the only person Gabriel visited at this time. He also appeared to a young lady named Mary. Listen to his greeting, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) Like Zecharias, Mary’s heart was ready for God’s assignment. She, too, had the attention of heaven. 

Jesus’s coming disrupted everything. Not only did Mary’s life turn upside down, but the dark world received the light. In pondering Jesus’s coming, I have been considering – am I willing to allow Him to disrupt my life? Am I prepared like Mary or like Zecharias to hear from God? Would the angel Gabriel consider me to be highly favored? 

Jesus’s coming changed history, and His coming has the power to transform each individual life. But we have a choice to make. As the disciple John so elegantly puts it in his gospel, when the true Light, Jesus, entered the world, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:11-12)

Christmas reminds us that we have the right to become children of God and that God uses His people to share that good news. I wonder, is my heart prepared to discern how God is working on the earth today? Do I have the attention of heaven like Zecharias? Am I humble and willing like Mary? Will I share the good news like John?

Examine your own heart as you consider Mary’s reflection, “My soul exalts in the Lord, and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.” (Luke 1:46-49)