Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

Matthew 1:22-23

There are so many great ways that people celebrate Christmas. Spending time with family and friends, opening gifts, eating Christmas treats, and singing Christmas carols are just a few ways we celebrate Christmas. Christmas, however, is not until the end of December. I know for me, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I start looking forward to celebrating Christmas. That is four weeks of waiting. That is a long time to wait!

The idea of waiting is not new to us. Jesus, our Savior, had been promised to us many of thousands of years ago. The first mention of our Savior was to Adam and Eve all the way back in Genesis 3:15. Then, all through the Old Testament, there are promises of a coming Savior. Matthew 1:22-23 fulfills one of the promises made about Jesus all the way back from Isaiah 7:14, which was 700 years before He was born! That is a lot of waiting...

The wait for our Savior came to be as Jesus was born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. Jesus, born in a manger, came to give His life for ours. He was the perfect sacrifice needed to pay for the sins that we have done. His life, death, and resurrection made the way for us to be forgiven of our sins and to receive the free gift of salvation that God made available to us through His son. Now that is a gift that is worth its wait!

Now, we find ourselves waiting again. We are waiting this time for Jesus to come and take us, who believe, to be with Him in heaven. Jesus said in John 14:3, "I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." Just as those who came before us waited for the birth of the Savior, we now wait for the return of the Savior. I know that this wait feels long, but it is going to be worth it, as we finally see our Savior face to face in Heaven!