Jesus is here!

The anticipation

One of the great things about Christmas is the anticipation. It starts early, but usually it is once we hit December that it all starts to pick up.

But then the big day arrives - today! - and it is no longer about anticipation, it is now about enjoying it for what it is.

Throughout this service we have read through the first 20 verses of .

What we didn’t read was the section in chapter 1 which talks about the when Mary found out about her pregnancy.

Now I suspect we all know someone whose fallen pregnant somewhat unexpectedly, and seen the shock that it can cause. But surely the shock for Mary would have been far greater - given she wasn’t married and given the circumstances, should have had zero chance of falling pregnant.

But even for those where pregnancy is not expected, once you do know, there is nine months of great anticipation.

I remember this anticipation with our three children. Particularly our first , those nine month seem to take a very long time.

I think it is more pronounced with your first child, particularly as you buy all of the furniture and paraphernalia that goes with having children, and then it just sits there unused while you wait for the baby to come.

But then the day comes. The baby is born.

In both our case and the case of Mary, this new born baby changed everything.

Let’s just forget the theological significance just for a moment, because for Mary, that very first Christmas was not just about the hope of the world, for her, it actually spelt a new way of life.

I’m thinking here of the change that comes for any new parent. Believe me, the change is huge!

Once that day comes, you are no longer anticipating what is to come - you are living it.

End of Advent

In the previous four Sunday, we have been observing the season known as Advent. It is all about the anticipation of the coming of Christ.

Though we aren’t normally a church that would be considered liturgical, I believe it is a great way to prepare ourselves for Christmas.

But the reality is, we don’t need to prepare ourselves for Christ first coming into the world. And that is because of one very simple reason - Christ has already come into the world.

You see, I mentioned how the birth of Jesus would have changed Mary’s life - but the most beautiful thing is that this did not just change her life, rather it changed everything for everyone!

You see, the birth of this baby was not just anticipated for nine months, rather it had been anticipated from the dawn of time.

The anticipation of Jesus

On the most recent Sunday, I looked at a particular prophecy from Micah which was given some 700 odd years before Jesus. I also made a passing reference to an earlier prophecy from Isaiah which occurred a few decades earlier.

However, the anticipation of Jesus was even earlier than these.

I could point to various Psalms which picture the birth of Jesus, but it was anticipated earlier than this.

I could point to , where Moses, some 1800 years before Jesus, anticipated this Messiah, but the anticipation is even earlier.

In fact, the first allusion to the coming of Christ can be found way back in , just after the snake led Adam and Eve astray, but God anticipated the time in which the snakes reign will be stopped.

And so throughout the Old Testament there is this great anticipation for something better.

But this is the greatest part. Though there were thousands of years of anticipation, we no longer need to anticipate Christ because he has already come!

Christ is Here

Though we know that Christ still has more in store when he returns and makes all things right, the reality is, his first coming actually means that what he did for us is available right now.

While we may still long for the day of his return, I want to just briefly reflect on what we have now.

Joy

Firstly, we can know true joy right now!

When the angels spoke to the shepherds out in the field, they said that they bring good news that will cause great joy.

Well, that joy is not something we are still waiting on, rather it is joy that we can know right now.

But as I’ve described before, I’m not talking here about what the world might describe as joy, that is, the fleeting moments of happiness. Rather what I’m talking about is the deep seated joy of knowing that everything is secure.

When Jesus first came he defeated the devil meaning that even though we will still face struggles in this age, we can still know the ending with such certainty that our hearts can overflow with joy.

Peace

Not only can we experience the joy now - we can also know peace now, just like we talked about on Sunday.

That might seem strange when you consider that we face so many struggles in this life. But again, just like the deep seated joy I just spoke of, the peace that Jesus brings today is of that same deep seated nature.

It can be a strange feeling, but I know that many of you know what I’m talking about because I’ve heard some of your stories.

You see, when you have Jesus in your life, there can be this deep peace that comes over you even in the midst of trials.

This peace is not just something we can look forward to later. This peace is something that we can know now.

A special time

We truly live in a special time and I think too often we forget just how special it is.

We forget because we still see so much evil in the world.

But we live in a time when the victory has already been won.

For the last 2000 odd years, we have been in an age when the devil has already been knocked off his perch.

We can stand proudly as people who are no longer stained with sin.

That’s not to say we don’t sin, but it is to say that sin no longer holds any power over us. And that is perhaps the most amazing thing we can ever know.

All of this is possible because Jesus came into the world.

Conclusion

Though there is still more to anticipate, what we don’t need to anticipate is the joy, peace and victory that Jesus has already given us.

This Christmas I want you to celebrate like fans of a team that has already won victory. Not just with the anticipation that maybe your team might win some year.

Jesus already has won the victory.

Jesus once told his disciples - “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”. ()

Jesus was not talking about your joy being complete at some later point.

He wants your joy to be complete now.

He also wants you to know peace now.

Christmas is the time that we remember when Jesus first came to earth.

Though there is still more for us to look forward to, the wait it over. Jesus is already here, and because of that, we can know joy and peace now.

Let me pray...