Advent Reminds Us We Live In The In-Between

Advent is a season where the people of God live in between the joy of Christ’s coming as a baby at the first Christmas and the longing of his second coming. This season calls us to live with the tension of hope that has arrived, but isn’t yet fully realized.

Advent calls us to be future-oriented people and place our hope firmly in the fact that Christ will come back and make all things new.

Too often, however, any talk about Christian hope is clouded by talk of prophetic time clocks, war, and natural disasters. It’s sad that our hope has been usurped by sensationalism. But, Christian hope doesn’t have to be weird.

Advent helps to ground our faith and our hope in the Baby who came as a king and will return as a king. And as the prophet Zechariah reminds us, this king will establish a kingdom of peace (not violence).

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
-Zechariah 9:9-10

Advent is a season of longing and hope for the day when the King returns and all things will be made new, violence will cease, all brokenness will be restored, and all evil overcome. If we grab hold of this hope, we will live well in the midst of whatever struggles we face.

 

If you are looking for a Christ-centered church in Fort Collins, we invite you to join us at Emmaus Road Church any Sunday at 10:00am.