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By Rev Don Rivers
It’s a quick turnaround this year, we’re still eating leftover turkey as we put up the tree. Another year is taking the white flag and we begin to look ahead and see what lies before us. How do we know what the future holds? We don’t. We do know who holds the future. Are we ready for what God has in store? Preparation for tomorrow starts today. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As the year winds down, we prepare to receive the blessing God promised. With December comes the Christian celebration of Advent. In expectation of the fulfillment of Scripture we focus on being prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior. Ask yourself, am I prepared to accept the gift that is given?
Isaiah 9:6; NLT: For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
One of the main components for success in racing is being prepared. Preparation of the car, the equipment and the for the track. If we do not prepare properly our chances for success are not very good. We have all had our back to the wall and not enough time to prepare properly. Those times leave us feeling like something is missing, something isn’t right.
The same happens when we don’t give any thought to what God has in store for us. If we don’t take the time to read God’s word. If we ignore the guidance and direction God gives. If we fail to anticipate the plans that God has for us then what? We are not prepared for the gift of Jesus.
As Advent begins we have time to prepare, time for us to reflect on the significance of the birth of Christ. The four Sundays of Advent, Hope, Joy, Peace and Love culminate with the Christmas Eve celebration of Christ’s birth. My prayer would be that we slow down and prepare to receive Christ.
Christmas isn’t about Santa Claus or red-nose reindeer. Christmas is the celebration of the best gift of all, a Savior. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” tells the story. Linus reads it from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 2:8-11; And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
The angels proclaimed the birth of a Savior, but how did the shepherds know? How come they didn’t just ignore them and reason it away as too much drinking. They were expecting this night. The prophets told them that this day was coming, 700 hundred years before it happened. They had hope from the prophet’s words about a coming savior. They rested in that hope and when the proclamation came they knew it was true. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed;
Isaiah 7:14; Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
The entire Old Testament points to the coming of Christ. Isaiah said we would call him Immanuel, which means God with us. The promise from God was a Savior. Not only a Savior, but His very presence with us. The one who would be born of a virgin. Our Hope and Salvation.
Have you ever wanted something for Christmas that you couldn’t live without? We dropped every hint we could think of. We hoped that our parents heard and saw all our hints. We waited anxiously, hoping that we would receive that gift on Christmas morning.
Recently we had the pleasure of sharing one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies with our grandchildren, “A Christmas Story”. We went to the drive-in and had a great time. It was a blessing to hear them laugh.
I’m sure you are familiar with the story; Ralphy wanted a Red Ryder BB gun. He dropped every hint he could and hoped it would be there on Christmas morning. He couldn’t live without it. His father made sure he received what he asked for.
Allow me to substitute Jesus as that present. We can’t live without Him. We have asked our Father in Heaven for Him. We wait, hopeful that we will receive this gift. God being a good father provides the gift we cannot live without; the gift of a Savior.
Prepare for his coming just as we would that gift you wanted as a kid. You learned everything you could about it. You knew all the ins and outs of it. There wasn’t anything you didn’t know.
How much do we know about Jesus? Do we know Him completely? Do we know everything about Him? That’s what the time of preparation is for. Prepare to know Jesus. Prepare to receive God’s gift. It is truly a gift you cannot live without.
There is an order to the season of Advent, Hope, Joy, Peace and Love. Each time of preparation builds on the previous one. Hope comes with the prophecy of a savior. Joy is the presence of that Savior in our lives. Peace resides in our hearts as we acknowledge that God is faithful and will keep His promises. Love is the key to making it all happen.
1 John 4:9-10; NLT; God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Until next time, remember God loves you and Jesus is Lord over Auto Racing! God Bless. Remember, that your prayerful support and donations helps us continue this ministry. Thank You.
