The King Has Come

Service had started as usual, but as worship began, I noticed some people at the altar. They were huddled together, the only ones up front. I watched for a moment and quickly could tell, this was a child with his parents. The child was grown, but he sat still, not fussing or squirming like most would. His head hung back, limp, and I knew –  he didn’t have muscle control. 

The mother knelt by the feet of her baby as she held his hand with one of her own, her other hand raised in praise and prayer to the Lord. I couldn’t help but join her from a distance, praying and praising, marveling at her faith and weeping over the disease that stole the basic mobility of her precious child. This beautiful mother continued to worship with each passing song, and when the time ended, I watched as she scooped up the long limp body of her child, and she carried him away. 

It isn’t supposed to be like that, I thought, holding my breath as I held back the tears.

The brokenness we live within can be overwhelming. Babies grow into children but still need the constant care of their parents. Loved ones are taken too soon. Marriages fall apart, friendships disappoint, bank accounts run low.

It isn’t supposed to be like this.

When we open up Scripture to the very beginning, we see a Creator God initiate it all. And we notice as he observes, “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

That is how it is supposed to be, we seem to instinctively know.

But the hope of the Gospel of Jesus is that it will, one day, again be good. Song after song, the lyrics of our Christmas carols proclaim a rescuer, someone who will come make everything right again:

Joy to the world, the Lord has come
Let earth receive her king [1] 

Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel [2]

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices [3]

Thousands of years later, there is still rejoicing for a weary world, rejoicing for a weary heart, because someone has come to help. 

When we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the fulfillment of prophecy, the fulfillment of promise. God came like he said he would. He walked our world, endured our pain and established a new fate. At the cross, Jesus took our sins, rescuing us from a forever darkness and granting us friendship with the Almighty.

This relationship, man with God, is what helps us now. We don’t ever suffer alone. We have access to a God who hears and a God who responds. God has given us his Spirit to not just dwell among man like the Word made flesh, but to dwell within man. We have the reconciled presence of God within and among us. He is always ready and willing to help when we are in need [4].

But that reconciled presence doesn’t always fix the right now. It doesn’t even necessarily feel different than we’d suppose his lack of presence might. But that presence does give us confidence. And it does give us hope [5]. 

It won’t always be like this.

One day, it won’t only be the Spirit of God around and within. One day, it will be the King himself, leading the armies of heaven and prepared for the final victory. He will save us from the presence of sin and from the presence of this broken world, leaving the heartache and suffering a distant memory. One day, the head of the serpent will be crushed, and death will be swallowed up forever [6]. The battle will be over. 

Heaven will come down to earth, and all things will be made new. But this time, the good will be permanent.

This is the announcement of great joy for all people that the angels declared to the shepherds that night long ago [7]. When we put our hope in this Savior, when we confess the name of this King, we are transferred, immediately, from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the son [8]. And immediately, the hope of the world, the hope of the past, present and future, becomes a guarantee for us. 

So we anticipate the day when grown children won’t need the care of their parents, because the healing will be complete. We anticipate the day when loved ones won’t be taken away, because death will be no more. We anticipate the day when marriages won’t split, because the consummation of the Church and her King will be sealed. Relationships won’t break, because sin will be destroyed, and bank accounts won’t be necessary, because we’ll forever rest in the presence and care of the richest, most generous king.

It is supposed to be like that. 

I watched that mama that morning, and thought, she is the perfect example of what it looks like to live in the tension of right now and not yet. Right now we grieve the hard, we celebrate the joys. And right now we hope. We live with one hand in our lives and among our circumstances, and the other we hold high, in praise and confidence that our Lord is Savior. Our Lord is Friend. Our Lord is King. He is coming back again, and his rule will never end.  

—–

[1] Joy to the World, Isaac Watts
[2] The First Noel, Davies Gilbert
[3] O Holy Night, Placide Cappeau
[4] Psalm 46:1
[5] Ephesians 1:13-14
[6] Isaiah 25:8
[7] Luke 2:10-11
[8] Colossians 1:13

Related: Remembering the Gospel in the Waiting
Stay Close to Jesus
5 Things We Know About Christ’s Second Coming – Crossway