Yes, when Jesus comes again

We are in the middle of the Advents time again. We are trying to prepare for the coming of the Lord again. 2000 years have passed since the Lord was born, as the little baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. And this Christmas we will once again hear the familiar story in the Gospel of Luke, of Maria and Joseph, the little child in the crib, the shepherds and the angels.

At that time God wrote history with humankind. It was the beginning of the new covenant God made with us people, which was sealed at the Cross of Calvary, when Jesus' blood was shed for our sins. “God became human, for the good of humankind” we sing in an old Christmas hymn. Only because Jesus came to earth, we can be saved. A real reason to celebrate.

But, alongside this first Advent, God taking on a human form, we also prepare for the second Advent, the time when Jesus will come again, when heaven and earth will be renewed and we will rule with Him on earth.

No-one knows the time and the hour, Jesus said, however He also said that we, as we recognize the weather by the signs in the sky, so we will also recognize the time as the end of this world approaches. And when we keep our eyes and ears open, we will see, that we have been living in end times for quite some time now and that Jesus' return is just a question of a very short time.

Are you ready for it? Are we ready for it? Or are we living like the foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps when the Bridegroom came?

Advent always reminds us of both, God's in human form and the return of Christ, which we are waiting for. Blessed are those who are ready.

I wish you a blessed Advent time – maranatha – the Lord is coming soon.

Rainer Gigerich