By Ron Hutchcraft
"But wait! There's more!"
No, not the line at the end of a TV infomercial...
But the line that lingers at the end of Christmas. Despite all the great that Christmas offers - there's more! So much more!
All those people in the Christmas story - Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men - they had been living with anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.
And He came. God in swaddling clothes.
But that's only the beginning. He is coming again!
"All the peoples of the earth will…see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).
The final chapter of this world's story will not be written by someone in Washington or Beijing or Moscow. It will be written by the One whose birth split history in two! The One the Christmas angels called the "Savior, Christ (Messiah) the Lord."
Yes, it's beautiful and important to look back at His First Coming.
But now we are the ones living in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. His Second Coming. The destination that is to define our journey. The hope that is to determine our priorities. The glory that brings purpose to our pain.
Looking beyond Bethlehem, we see Jerusalem, where He will return.
Beyond the stable, our eyes are on the skies.
Beyond the manger, we see the Mount of Olives where "on that day His feet will stand" (Zechariah 14:4).
Beyond the helpless Baby, we stand in awe of the conquering King.
And beyond a handful of shepherds bowed before Baby Jesus, we see the whole world on their knees before the King of all kings! "God gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:9-10).
Speaking of His First Coming, the Bible says, "The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people... when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us..." (Titus 2:11; 3:4-5).
Grace came the first time. Glory comes the second time!
And were it not for that grace, Jesus' return would mean nothing but eternal judgment. But because of that grace - that amazing grace - we are "saved." For the Lord of history became the Savior on the Cross. Taking our place, taking all the hell for all our sin on Himself. So He could say to us after our last heartbeat, "Today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
Christmas beckons "come, let us adore Him." His Return calls us to "come, let us be ready for Him." The Bible suggests there will be two responses when Jesus breaks into the history of every one of our lives - confidence and shame (1 John 2:28).
For those who belong to Him and are living for Him, "Oh, YES!" For those who have never trusted Him as Savior - or aren't living His way - "Oh NO!"
For those of us who have a relationship with Him, Jesus says, "Be careful or your hearts will be weighed down" with things that don't really matter. "That day will close on you suddenly like a trap... be always on the watch" (Luke 21:34-36).
As our heart looks to our King's coming, it challenges our perspective on a lot of things. Our priorities - living, giving, spending on what will matter when we see Him. If it isn't going to matter then, how much should it matter now?
Our purity is illuminated in the light of His Return. "All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). What would I be ashamed of if He returned today?
And the coming of Jesus calls us to a sense of urgency about the lost lives around us. The lives who will be lost forever when He returns to earth or comes for them at the end of their life. Is my fear of what might happen to me if I tell them about Jesus greater than my fear of what will happen to them if I don't?
This past couple of weeks, I have stood looking at the manger, in awe of His grace. But today, I stand looking up, in anticipation of His glory. And looking in the mirror asking, "Am I ready?"
For that day when "the Lord will be king over all the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name" (Zechariah 14:9).
In a few days, we will declare "happy new year" as we begin "the Year of our Lord 2025." Maybe it will be. For real.