READY, SET, GO!

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…” Luke 2:29-30

You may have sensed the deep sigh of relief from millions of exhausted Americans as another Christmas concludes and a new year waits just beyond the horizon. Of course, there’s still gift exchanges to be done, Christmas decorations to put away, and pounds to be shed after all the parties are done. When it’s all over, I wonder how many will look back and say “Is that it? What did I miss?”

Is it possible we might have missed the whole point of Christmas again—that God entered our world to show us the Father and His love for us in a deliberate act of personal sacrifice for our sins? Central to the whole Christmas message is that this Savior whose birth we celebrate at Christmas will return again and raise us to immortality. The Savior who came as a baby will in that day come as a mighty, all-powerful King to reign forever, and us with Him! Handel knew this when he wrote the now famous Hallelujah Chorus from his “Messiah”.

I wonder how many Christians really believe that—you know, the Second Coming of our Lord and our bodily resurrection? At least we certainly don’t live as though we do. Craig Blomberg, New Testament Professor at Denver Seminary, is right: “If we really believed that one day the new heavens and new earth pictured in Revelation 21-22 will be ours forever, we’d stop trying to get everything before we die and be content to wait, using our goods in this life to serve the least, the last and the lost.”

So, how about it, Grandma and Grandpa? How does the Christmas story affect your way of living? How do you think your grandchildren would answer? Now that Christmas is over, perhaps this would be a good time to re-establish our priorities and perspectives in light of eternity rather than trying to find it all in this life. So, as the New Year approaches let’s step the line with “ready, set, go!”

GRANDPAUSE: “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; And He shall reign forever, and ever, King of kings and Lord of lords, Hallelujah!” –Handel (Hallelujah Chorus)