Why should we celebrate and rejoice? There is so much to be fearful and frustrated about, so much bad is happening. What good is there to celebrate? It may not seem like the first coming really accomplished much, or made a dent in the evils of society.
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace. He did not come to bring physical or political peace on earth, but peace with God. Because of sin, we begin life enemies to God. Jesus came to reconcile us to Him, to pay the debt for our sin so that we can be made righteous. Only then can we have internal peace, knowing that our sins are paid for and we are loved by God. We don’t have to worry about what happens on earth because we have all of eternity to look forward to, and the sufferings we experience now are nothing compared to the glory to come! (Rom 8:18) Jesus also brought peace among His followers. We can have unity with believers of every tribe and nation because we all live by His commands and share a common joy. He unifies us in our faith.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
We can rejoice because Jesus will come back. He came once to bring salvation, and we have proof of that in our lives. He will come again, as promised, to bring an end to sin and death. He always keeps His promises. Salvation and eternal life are the two best things to rejoice over, two which we could in no way deserve! They are the best Christmas presents we could ever receive. As dark as our world seems to be right now, we still have reason to be thankful and rejoice! We have a Redeemer who will one day return to right every wrong. Then will be the end of misery, suffering and sin. Rejoice!
What worry is weighing you down? What darkness is oppressing you? Remember the sure hope of your salvation! Remember that as assuredly as Jesus came once, He will come again! I say again, rejoice!
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