Powerpoint Pictures: People queuing who aren’t paying attention; People queuing who are paying attention

We don’t have to celebrate Advent, but it is good to do so because it helps us to celebrate Jesus saving us.  The way Advent helps us to do this is by focusing our thoughts and attention on Jesus’ coming.

It reminds us of His first coming and how from the time of Adam and Eve and the promise of the serpent crusher, God’s people were waiting for Jesus to come and save His people.

It also helps us to remember that like them, we too are waiting.  We are waiting for Jesus to come again and get rid of all sin, suffering, death and Satan once and for all and bring His people into a new creation.

But how do we wait?

Look at this picture of people queuing.  They are waiting for something.

Now in a queue there are two types of people who are waiting or queuing.

There are the sleepy queuers.  They are those who aren’t paying attention to what is going on around them.  The queue may suddenly move forward and they don’t realise this and stay where they are allowing a large gap ahead of them to form.

Then there are the awake queuers.  They are those who are ready and alert.  As soon as the queue moves, they move.

When it came to Jesus’ first coming we find these two types of people waiting.

Some people, like Herod, were sleepy, they weren’t ready for Jesus to come into the world, in fact they didn’t really want Him to.  “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem… Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  When Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1-3)

But there were some, like Simon, who were alert and awake, ready for Jesus to come.  “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout.  He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25)

As people who are waiting for Jesus to come again, the question for us is, how are we waiting?

Are we asleep or are we awake?

Advent says to us “Be Ready!”

How?  By trusting in Jesus to save us and by following Jesus as we obey His teaching.

Be Ready!