December is here, and that means it's time for the season of Advent. If you didn't come from a liturgical church tradition, you may not be familiar with the background and meaning of Advent. Of course, Shelby Crossings is anything but liturgical, but we still observe Advent each year as a time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christmas.

In fact, the word "advent" derives from the Latin term that translates the New Testament word for "coming." It specifically refers to Jesus' coming--His first coming when He was born a baby in Bethlehem, and His second coming when He will part the skies and come to take His bride the church home. He came, and He is coming again.

Though long prophesied, who in first-century Palestine was really expecting that the King of kings would be born to a "round yon virgin" in a lowly stable? No one was looking for it, and so most missed it--save for a few simple shepherds who were directed there by angels. Likewise, though long prophesied, who in our 21st-century world really expects the soon return of the King?

In that light, Advent is admittedly a weird season for us. It is "the now and the not yet" as someone has called it. Jesus has come--that is a historical fact. And He is coming again--that is a historical fact too, it just hasn't happened yet! History has not yet unfolded as prophecy describes. But we can rest assured that as sure as He came the first time, He will come again.

The confusion for us, sometimes, comes because we are living in the in-between time--between when He came, and when He will come. And the only way we can really understand His second coming is to recognize and celebrate His first, in all of its wonder. Jesus' coming into the world in that Bethlehem manger went against everything we would have ever believed to be true. God became a human, He was virgin born, royalty came to earth, laid in an animal feeding trough. And His next coming, prophecy promises, will be all the more other-worldly, but no one will miss this one!

Our calling in the meantime in this season of Advent is not to predict dates and understand all of the prophetic signs. It is to get ready.  "Let every heart prepare Him room," as the old Christmas carol says. So, we prepare for a Jesus-focused celebration of Christmas in the short term, and for a Jesus-focused celebration of eternity in the long term. The reality is, the long-term could be upon us, even in the short-term.

My prayer for each of you is that you won't allow the distractions and the busyness of this season ahead of us to take your eyes off what is of vital importance, and that is Christ Himself. May He be the center of your Advent, and the center of your lives, until He comes again.

I'm praying for you, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

--Pastor Ken