Monday, December 2, 2024

           When we read the words “bring back,” we immediately think that something is lost, missing or off track.  To bring something back would suggest that it is not where it needs to be.  At its core, Christmas is a mission of bringing people back to the Lord.  We cannot fully understand the cross and the resurrection of Jesus if we do not understand His birth and why He came in the first place.  Jesus did not come to earth to explore the creation, make a name for Himself or gain a place of lasting acclaim and fame in history.  He did not come to form a country or conquer occupied land.  But He did come to defeat sin and conquer death.  He did come to bring us back to the Father.  Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” Paul wrote, “When anyone lives in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone! The new is here! All this is from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ. God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people’s sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him" (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).   
            Advent is a time of waiting and seeking.  We are seeking the Lord as we await His coming.  Truly, Advent is as much or more about the second coming of Jesus than His birth in Bethlehem.  Just as surely as Jesus came the first time, we know He will come again for His people.  So, we are waiting.  We wait in wonder as Christmas approaches.  We ponder anew the profound reality that Christ came to bring us back to the Father.  You.  Me.  Us.  Through our unshared and surrendered faith and trust in Christ and Christ alone, we can return to the Father.  We can know Him and enjoy Him.  Our sins have left us bankrupt and beached us beyond anything we could do to make matters better on our own.  We need a Savior—a Savior who became like us to die the death we should have died and live the life we were not capable of living.  Isaiah 49 is a prophecy that speaks to the Messiah (Jesus) bringing back a lost and wayward Israel and even being a light to the Gentiles so they might know and enjoy the Lord.  Light is a powerful image in Scripture.  Jesus Himself said “I am the light of the world.” 
            Light also shows us where we are and where we are going in life.  Christ is the light of the World.  God’s Word can and does light the pathways that show us where and how to walk today (see Psalm 119 for many examples). His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our pathways.  As Christ brings us back to the ways of the Father, we gain the courage to stand for Him.  Paul reminded us, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).  Ask the Lord to bring you back from the places where maybe you have departed from Him.  Lean upon Him and His ways rather than your own will, wits and wisdom.  It may require you to remove bad or questionable influences from your life.  I Corinthians 15:33-34 reminds us, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’  Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning.” 
            The Old Testament prophets consistently pointed people back to God and called the wayward to return to Him.  But many of them also pointed to the time when the Lord Himself would become our substitute and our righteousness—a time far beyond the prophets themselves. He would die for us at the cross and live the life we cannot live so that His righteousness is credited and imputed to us.  The season of Christmas is one of those special times on the calendar where we hear the Lord’s call to come to Him. It is a season of rhythm where we see how we are out of tune with the Lord and come back to the music that He is playing.  We see in the birth story of Jesus the lengths to which the Father went to bring us back by sending the Son—His only begotten Son.  As we rejoice in the movement of these sacred days, may we also welcome the call to come back to Him.  Have a great Monday!