But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. (Romans 8:25, NLT)
I’m sure you laugh at TV commercials like I do. I love the one where a group of golfers finish their round and are heading to the SUV to put their clubs in the back. Before they get there, the driver starts complaining about his round and throws a fit, ripping off his vest and slamming his clubs into the back of the car. He swears he hates everything about the game and even whines that his tees are too tall.
I can tell you this: the Jewish people ahead of Jesus’ birth were certainly keeping both eyes open for the coming of the Messiah.But here comes the funniest part. Once they’ve all climbed into the vehicle and he takes his place behind the wheel, the driver turns to his buddy riding shotgun and asks, “Same time tomorrow?”
We golfers are crazed like that.
I just spoke to my uncle, who lives in the Northwest. I asked him, “When was the last time you played a round of golf?” He could only sigh. It’s been more than eight weeks. But in mid-December, he and his wife head to the Palm Springs area for three-and-a-half sunny months. He said to me, “We can’t wait!” Of course, that’s not completely true. If they showed up now, their housing would not be available. So he holds on as patiently as an anxious golfer can.
What I’m not sure is funny is how we are so eager for our next round of golf—which comes many times a year—but so disinterested in the swift approach of another Christmas. I can tell you this: the Jewish people ahead of Jesus’ birth were certainly keeping both eyes open for the coming of the Messiah.
At one of our local Links Fellowships this week, we got to talking about the meaning of Advent. This is the name given to the season in church tradition. Most basically, it means “coming” or “arrival.” It is the time leading up to something expected.
When Christmas is truly special in our eyes, and when we allow ourselves to be seized by the wonder of God coming to earth in the form of a man—a man who started out like all men, in the womb of a woman!—then our entire Advent season is filled with eagerness, even excitement.
Maybe you remember this is how it was when you were a child, but it has been a long time since you experienced such amazement. Let me encourage you to rekindle the sparkle in your eyes. You can do so by remembering the most amazing of promises: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The Savior has come! The Lord has arrived! We don’t look forward anymore to this happening, but we can certainly look forward to a special time of spiritual emphasis when we rejoice in our Savior and sing the songs of his advent. This is why we invite friends and family—those who believe now and those who have yet to believe—to join us in the Christmas season. Let’s pray for these invitees. Let’s pray for them and welcome them and show them the Jesus who is Christ.
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Dereck Wong
December 7, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.