Expected Delivery

Today you officially have twenty-five shopping days until Christmas. Don’t worry because we can shop any time of the day or night and just wait for the packages to arrive in the mail. According to the Washington Post, UPS will deliver somewhere around 750 million packages this holiday season. They’ll do the work, and all we have to do is click and wait.

If you have friends or family who enjoy waiting for packages, who love getting a surprise, there are some gift options you might try through gift-of-the-month clubs. For about $50 per month, you can sign your loved one up for the bacon-of-the-month club where he or she will receive two one-pound selections of artisan bacon every month. There’s a pickle-of-the-month club and even a PB-and-J-of-the-month club. Just think of all the excitement you can give for Christmas as your parents, friends or children check every day to see if their gourmet peanut butter and jelly arrives in the mail.

But if you really want to do something exciting you can do what Charles McKinley did in 2003. In an attempt to avoid paying for an airline ticket and surprising his parents he shipped himself in a crate from his home in New York to his parents’ home in Dallas. Somehow, he actually made it home, but the final deliveryman saw Mr. McKinley through a crack in the crate and called the police. Unfortunately, he was arrested for an unrelated and outstanding warrant.

Christmas is certainly a time of waiting and expectation. You can feel the expectation build as children grow more and more antsy as they wait for the big day to arrive. As we prepare and wait, it occurs to me that the vast majority of our lives is filled with waiting and preparation while only a fraction is filled with actual experience, celebration, or doing things. Consider the Thanksgiving meal that we recently enjoyed. How long did it take to prepare it? How long did it take to eat? Generally the preparation usually takes longer than the actually eating of the meal.

Often when we think we’re finally doing things; we’re actually just waiting and preparing for things in a new location. Take camping. It feels like you’re doing something. Actually, you’re just waiting and preparing the outdoors. You prepare the fire. You prepare the tents for sleeping. You prepare the meals for cooking.

If we stop to think about it, we really shouldn’t be surprised that life is filled with so much more preparation and waiting than doing, because in some way’s preparation is the doing. In fact, preparation is often the point. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that our short time on earth is more about preparation for eternity in heaven than what we accomplish or do on this earth. In fact, the best use of our time on earth is to prepare our hearts to become more like Jesus and to help other people get prepared to meet Jesus in heaven.

The primary point of the Old Testament is the preparation for one moment. What some call the protevangelium near the very beginning of creation points to this fact. Protos is the Greek word for “first,” and evangelion means “good news or gospel.” So, the protevangelium is what most followers believe to be the first declaration of the Gospel. It takes place directly after Adam and Eve fell into sin. God declared to the serpent in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The work the serpent began that was expressed through Adam and Eve’s conscious choice to sin would one day be crushed through the arrival of her offspring. That offspring, of course, is the One whom Christmas points to and celebrates. From the moment of the first sin onward, the entire Old Testament prepares and points us to the great moment when our Savior and Messiah came to save us from the curse of sin. The law and all the temple sacrifices show our need for a Savior. The slavery and sorrow of the Israelites point to the bondage we all face before we acknowledge His arrival. The prophets looked and longed for His coming.

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Micah was inspired by God to look forward to His birth. In Micah 5:2, he wrote, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” Chris Tomlin’s modern hymn proclaims: “Emmanuel, Emmanuel, God incarnate here to dwell . . . Praise His name Emmanuel.”

The one from ancient times whom Micah wrote about has more than one hundred different names in the Bible. He’s called the Alpha and the Omega, the Word of Life, the Bright Morning Star, the Light of the World, I Am, the Ancient of Days, Jesus. His name Emmanuel means “God with us.” And when Jesus arrived, He came humbly, quietly, in a small and forgotten town that didn’t even have a proper room for His arrival. But let’s not allow the circumstances or the prophecies He chose to fulfill confuse what child this is. He is the Ancient One, the Creator, the Author and Giver of Life, the Word of God. For hundreds of years, the Israelites and the prophets looked to Him and waited for His rescue.

Advent is the perfect time for us to wait and prepare. As the prophets waited for Jesus’s arrival, we wait and prepare for His Second Coming. In some ways we know what Micah, Isaiah, Moses, and so many who looked for Jesus went through. Like them, we know Jesus is coming again, and we don’t know when. Like them, we need to prepare our hearts to receive and grow in Him now as we anticipate the day when we will meet Him face-to-face. While He may indeed tarry longer, you can be certain that we all are in our own Last Days. We will soon witness His arrival, or we will soon meet Him at the end of our own lives. Either way, we must be prepared!

Preparation Begins with Repentance

You might say that John the Baptist was the last prophet who had to wait for Jesus’s first arrival. He shows us how to prepare our hearts for Jesus in our lives now and how to prepare our hearts for Jesus’s return. In Matthew 3:2, John says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In verse 8, John says, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” In verse 11, he declares, “I baptize you with water for repentance.”

Repentance in its simplest definition means “to turn.” So, John isn’t calling out, “You all better start feeling really guilty for all the things you’ve done.” He’s not saying, “I want you to feel really bad.” Understand that repentance certainly can begin with feeling really bad. But what John is saying is, “Change your approach. Reconsider how you think about things and begin to think and act differently.”

There is a story about a man named Harvey that went into the hardware store to buy a chain saw. He told the clerk, “I want one that will cut down about ten trees in an hour.” The next day, Harvey came back, and he was really upset. He said, “Hey, this chain saw only cut down one little tree in one hour.” The clerk said, “Hmm. Let me take a look at it.” The clerk pulled on the starter rope, and the saw started right up. Harvey looked at it in wonder and said, “What’s that noise?”

Harvey needs to think differently and change his approach when it comes to using the chainsaw.

In the same way, Advent gives us an opportunity to consider our approach and make a change. Is this Christmas going to be like all the rest? Harried? Rushed? Stressful? Overwhelming? Or will we take our cue from the prophets of old who were waiting and preparing for His arrival? Will we allow this season to be one of reflection, adoration, and repentance? There is no better footing on the road to Jesus than a road broken with humility, understanding of our need, and repentance. As the psalmist tells us in Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God you will not despise.

Despite the vast array of Old Testament prophecies describing the birth, life, death, and purpose of the Messiah, there was at least one idea that caused the vast majority of the religious leaders to miss the gift when it came. Strangely enough, they didn’t really understand the significance of original sin. We know that regulations were incredibly important to them. Avoiding sin was paramount. But redemption for sin was nearly ignored. When they looked for salvation, they weren’t really thinking about their need for salvation from sin. Instead, they were looking for salvation from foreign rule and oppressive government. And their mistaken belief about the mission of the Messiah became their most important conviction about Him.

Let’s not make the same mistake. Let’s remember that we are in desperate need. Although our feelings may tell us otherwise, it’s not the need for a way to pay all our Christmas bills. We’re not so desperate for a way to get everything done that needs to be accomplished before Christmas. We are desperate for a Savior who will cleanse us from our sin once and for all. We are in need of the Messiah who came to die for what we have done.

Preparation Increases with Expectation

When the Chinese were getting ready to host the 2008 Olympics, they had the vision and expectation to show the entire world that they had become a world power. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee announced China would host the games. Preparation began immediately. By 2007, China had built a new National Stadium, a new National Swimming Center, a new shooting range, a new cycling velodrome, a new National Tennis Center, and a new National Hockey Stadium.

China used more than fifteen thousand performers for the opening ceremonies. Of those performers, 2,200 had a small part in demonstrating martial arts. That group lived and prepared together in an army camp for three solid months, and they practiced for sixteen hours every day. Many of the performers were given diapers to wear during rehearsals so they didn’t have to take breaks. One rehearsal lasted fifty-one hours straight during a rainstorm.

There is much to be said about China’s human rights record, but they delivered during the opening ceremony They had huge expectations, they made tremendous preparations, and they delivered amazing results.

Have you ever considered how you would prepare for work or school if you expected Jesus to be sitting there when you arrived? How would you prepare for church if you knew that God Almighty was going to show up and meet you when you got here? How would you spend your time getting ready in the morning if you knew the Holy Spirit was just waiting to tell you something amazing as soon as you were ready to listen? If you knew you were living in the Last Days, would you do things differently? If we had such expectations, surely it would affect our preparations for each season and even each day.

Actually, Jesus will indeed be at work and school when you arrive this week. God is always ready to meet you as you reach out to meet Him. God’s Word is alive and active, and God is willing to speak to you if you’re willing to read and listen. We can be certain that all of us are in our own individual Last Days regardless of how long it takes for Jesus to return. Perhaps knowing that Emmanuel is here with us now, was here with us yesterday, and will be here with us tomorrow will change the way we prepare for Christmas, work, school, church, and even tomorrow morning.

Preparation Brings Fruit

There is one test that demonstrates whether or not you or another person has repented: your behavior will change. If a person commits a sin against you, apologizes, and then does the same thing again, has that person really repented? We are not talking about forgiveness here. Forgiveness is found in the strength of the cross, not the strength of our apologies or will. We are talking about repentance.

Now I’m sure your friend who apologized felt truly sorry. You probably believe that they intended not to continue in that sin. However, the fruit of their life shows whether or not they had a change of heart. In the same way, the fruit of our lives shows our preparation through repentance. Sometimes the change is incremental, and it takes time until it’s complete. But if you aren’t walking away from the sin, you haven’t repented of the sin.

I think the difference between feeling sorry and repenting is found in understanding how ugly and damaging the sin really is. We’re sorry, but the need the sin meets, the draw the sin has for our life, or the habit we’ve built is stronger than our repulsion to the sin. That’s why people often have to hit rock bottom before they can turn around. We have to see the real impact and ugliness of the sin. Its ugliness has to become great enough for us to say, “I’ll do whatever it takes to never go there again. Lord God, please help me and show me where I can go and what I can do to turn my back on it and to be free of it.” Our sincerity is proven in the way we live, the help we seek, the prayers we offer, and the choices we make.

Do you want to know if you’re preparing for Christ’s arrival? Do you want proof that you are getting ready for Advent? Just answer this question: “Is my life bearing fruit?” That’s not the test for whether or not you’ll be saved. The test for your salvation is found in Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” John 3:16 says, “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We take God at His Word. The test for a heart that is active in its preparation to meet Jesus is the test of whether or not we see evidence of fruit in our lives.

There are all sorts of varieties of spiritual fruit: increased service, a closer relationship with God, a greater ability to encourage or care for others, a stronger family life, victory over sin, greater peace, deeper love. Think of your life three or four Christmases ago. Do you have more fruit in your life? If so, keep going. You’re getting ready. You are effectively preparing. If not, it’s not too late to start bearing fruit. Repent of complacency, or anything else holding you back. Draw near to Him in expectancy and look for ways to fruitfully live out your faith. Christmas is coming. The Second Advent is coming. In our expectation, let’s get prepared.

Expected Rescue

The promise Malachi and all the other prophets clung to was that they would be rescued. It’s so important that we remember our preparation is not our salvation nor is it our rescue. Rather, our preparation is our response to what Jesus has already done for us and in us.

In 2013, the movie Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks was released. You may know that this movie is based on the true story of how Somali pirates commandeered a cargo ship piloted by Captain Phillips. Through a series of events the captain convinces his captors to let his crew go while he and the pirates leave the cargo ship together on the lifeboat. The pirates then promptly make a beeline with the lifeboat for Somalia, looking to cash in on the captive captain. One of the best moments in the film—and the moment that had to be one of the best moments of the real Captain Phillips’s life—is when out of the darkness the horns of the USS Bainbridge thunder through the sea and floodlights illuminate the ocean and the lifeboat. You can see the relief and elation wash over Captain Phillips’s face.

The USS Bainbridge is one of forty-six guided missile destroyers within the US Navy with massive guns and missile capabilities to destroy more than one hundred targets simultaneously. When the Bainbridge comes to the rescue, you know the pirates are in trouble and that a real hope has finally arrived. And watching the film I thought, “I don’t ever want to be on the wrong side of a fight with the US Navy.”

One thing I hope we understand about Christmas in the midst of the sentimentality of nativity scenes, in the soft sweetness of “Away in a Manger” is that Christmas was a rescue mission. And the One who came to our rescue wasn’t some outgunned, outclassed, or hopeless underdog. The One who came to our rescue was Emmanuel—God with us—who had the power and authority to call down all of the angels of heaven for His purposes and desires. The Ancient One humbled Himself to become fully man because we were the hostages being held captive by sin. Christmas was the beginning of a rescue mission that was conceived and carried out on our behalf by none other than God Himself.

So, this Advent I am not expecting and preparing to be stressed out and overwhelmed.

I am not expecting things to fall apart. I am not preparing to be defeated.

I am waiting expectantly for God to come through for you and for me.

I am waiting expectantly for Jesus to be revealed in our lives.

I am waiting expectantly, knowing that He is preparing me for heaven and chiseling away at the hardness of my heart.

I am waiting expectantly for the plans He has for you, for me, and for this church.

I am waiting expectantly for His kingdom to advance.

I am waiting expectantly for the lost to be found and the blind to see.

I am waiting expectantly for His love to be made known to a hurting and dying world through you, through me, and through His church.

I am waiting expectantly for Jesus to return and to claim me. What about you are you waiting expectantly for all of these things too?

Emmanuel. God with us. God has come. We have been rescued. And through His rescue, we have been saved and brought back home. Because the rescue is complete, our best response is to prepare in great expectation of the realization of all that Jesus has accomplished when we see Him at the Second Advent. Amen

Will you please join me in our closing prayer?

‒ Pastor Pam