This Friday, December 20th, is an extremely important day. It’s a day that I, along with millions of other people around the world, have been anticipating for a very long time. It may be one of the most important days in the history of the world…
Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, but on December 20th, when the final film in the Skywalker saga of Star Wars premieres, I will be in the theater waiting anxiously through previews with popcorn in hand. It is no secret that millions of people are anxiously awaiting this film’s release. This collection of movies has meant so much to so many people. It has become almost a rite of passage to watch that classic original trilogy (hopefully before anything gets spoiled for you). Don’t worry; there won’t be any spoilers here.
I remember watching the movies growing up and being enthralled with the idea that one day I might get to see more of this Star Wars world on the big screen. There were always rumors, hints, that we would one day get to see the story of young Anakin or maybe an older Luke Skywalker. Then, as if the clouds had parted, we got the prequels, and now we are but days away from the exciting conclusion! There is a jittery excitement in my stomach even now, long before I ever drive to the theater.
A Longing . . .
I’m sure all of us have experienced that at some point. -that deep longing for something you really wanted. Maybe you remember Christmas being like that when you were younger; maybe it still is that way for you. Maybe it was a book release or a graduation ceremony. Who knows? What I do know is that it is common to feel that way. All of us at one time or another have this anxious longing in our hearts, and that is a very good thing.
That feeling has been placed in our hearts by God. It has been there for a really long time. Back in the book of Isaiah in the Bible, the Israelites experienced it, too. They were anxiously awaiting a redeemer to come to save them from oppression and from a world that had turned its back on God. They had to wait a very long time (over 700 years, in fact) to be rescued by the redeemer that God had promised.
A New Hope is Coming
That redeemer was Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. -God Himself, sent to rescue His people. We are lucky that we now live in a time when we can know and trust in Christ. Yet, we still wait. Why? Because Jesus is coming again.
Christmas is a complicated time of year. Yes, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Christmas gives us a unique opportunity to ponder the next coming of Jesus, as well. How anxious are we for that? Do we live with the same excitement and nervous joy about His return as we do for the next Star Wars movie? I know I am guilty of that sometimes.
Maybe this Christmas season would be a good time to stop and think about what it means that Jesus is coming back one day and what that really means for us here, now. How differently would you live if you were just as anxious about that day as any other big day? How would you treat people differently? How would you love differently? Hope came for us all at Christmas around 2,000 years ago, and hope is coming again.
