December is the busiest month of the year for most people, and that’s really saying something, because most of us were busy even at the slowest part of the year!  Upon already busy lives are piled shopping trips for Christmas, meal plans, travel plans, kids’ or grandkids’ programs, office parties, neighborhood parties, family parties.  Amidst all this busy-ness, I want to challenge you to take some time to stop and consider what this season is all about. 

Certainly it is about the coming of our Lord in Bethlehem two thousand years ago.  God broke into history in person, in the flesh, born of a virgin, so that He could live a perfect life only to take our sin upon Himself and suffer and die to give us His perfection.

Were that the end of the story, that would be a really neat story.  We could celebrate year after year that God did that for us back then.  But it’s not the end.  Jesus is coming back!  Angels told the apostles “In the same way you saw Him leave, you shall see Him return” (Acts 1:11). 

How can we be sure that Jesus will really come back?  Because He’s already come once before!  Christmas is not just about something that happened way back then, something we’ll never actually experience ourselves.  Christmas points toward Jesus’ second coming, which we will all experience! (see 1 Thess. 4:16-17).

In patience and expectation, we await that joyful day when we will celebrate a new Christmas in person with Jesus forever! 

Take some time this Christmas season to focus your mind and thoughts to include that Jesus will come back some day.  The joy and good feelings of Christmas cannot begin to compare to the joy that awaits us on that day! 

“He that testifies to these things says, ‘Yes I am coming soon.’  Amen.  Come Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)