Hennie Symington

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Zechariah. 9:9: (KJV)

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew. 24:43-44(KJV)

From now until Christmas we find ourselves in a state of expectation. We can start counting the days to Christmas because this time of year is Advent. But heed the warning.

Beware of fake news!

The message sent by advertisers and merchants of the Christmas industry to the world is that the more we spend and the more glitter we hang and the more holly we put up on the door frame, the jollier and more blessed your Christmas will be.

Strangely enough, despite all the glitter and fake holly, Christmas remains something we all look forward to. We just love counting the days to Christmas and few homes are without their Advent calendar. A few weeks of waiting however, is nothing compared to six hundred years. That's how long the Jews had to wait after the destruction of Jerusalem to return to the promised land. And while they were waiting the prophets, Jeremiah and Zechariah, kept their hopes alive with the prospect of a King who would one day restore their land and turn them into a prosperous nation. Zechariah creates an idyllic picture of a town square in Jerusalem filled with old men, and boys and girls playing together. Amid utter dejection Jeremiah preaches a message of hope. But at long last that Hope was born in a manger, under the stars with a heavenly host of angels watching over the Child.

Today we still wait in expectation. We wait not only to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, but eagerly anticipate that day that Christ will return. And while we wait, we do not lose hope, so that when He comes again, we will not be found busying ourselves with Christmas decorations and fake idols, but with Kingdom work.

So, by all means, celebrate Christmas with all sorts of joyful customs and traditions while keeping in mind that the coming of the Kingdom should be our first priority.

Prayer: Lord, we celebrate Christmas without hope, just as another day on the calendar year instead of rejoicing in that day when you visited the earth in the form a child. Amen