They had been expecting him. They didn’t know who He was, or exactly what He would be like,
or even how it would all happen. But lack of detail wasn’t enough to starve hope. They had
been waiting…for centuries. The promises were clear enough. He was coming…a Savior, the
Messiah, the One who would set things right. The promises were clear enough, even if they
weren’t exactly spelled out. Ideas about the One who would come to redeem were cloudy at
best, but that didn’t diminish the longing. The sorrow and angst of a world that seemed sickly
out of tune was fuel enough for each generation to reignite the hope that theirs might be the
time, that this might be the moment in history when He came…and made everything right
again.

Every time a Roman soldier asked a child of God to carry their cloak just to remind who was in
charge, the desire grew. Every time a child of the promise died of starvation, every time a
beloved was martyred at the whim of a power monger, every time someone uttered “Caesar is
Lord,” the fire was stoked, the desperation grew. “Come Messiah, how long will you wait?”

And then it happened…Advent. Right under their noses and without fanfare, light came into
darkness. The hope of the world, the life and light of all mankind… in a manger. Hope fulfilled.
The Lord is come, let earth receive her King. Heaven and nature have never been the same.
Christmas changed everything. The Savior Reigns. Let men their songs employ.

We have been expecting him. The promises were clear enough, even if they weren’t exactly
spelled out. He is coming…again. The sorrow and angst of a world that seems sickly out of tune
is fuel enough for our generation to take its place in expectation and reignite the hope that ours
might be the time, that this might be the moment in history when he returns…and makes
everything new.

Every time there is an unexpected diagnosis, every time we bury someone we love, the desire
grows. Every time there is an act of terror, a school shooting, an incident of road rage a
catastrophic event, the desperation grows. It feels like our flags are at half-mast lately more
than they are not. “Come Messiah, how long will you wait?”

It will happen again… Advent. The Lord will come. Clouds will be parted. All things will be
made new. Hope will be fulfilled. Let earth receive her King. Let men their songs employ. And
let every heart, prepare Him room.