This Sunday marks the beginning of a new year for the church. Advent is a time of preparation. A time to focus on the coming birth of Jesus -- the Messiah. It is a time to consider His promised return. The people of Jesus’ time were also awaiting a messiah: A king who would deliver them from the hands of foreign oppressors. A high priest who would restore the true and proper worship of YHWH and initiate a new period of prosperity and prominence. The prophet Isaiah of Jerusalem (800 years prior) had spoken about a descendent of King David who would once again sit on the throne and rule justly. Generations would pass before the true Messiah would enter the scene.  

Throughout this Advent season, we will consider the juxtaposition between the kings we want and the king who came. The kings we want always seem larger than life and full of big promises. In return, we dress them in opulence, shower them with wealth, and surrender our power to live under their authority. And do they live up to the hype? Rarely!

Compare those kings to the one who left His throne to come to earth. Consider the one who held the power of creation in His hands, but gave it up for tiny fingers. All majesty, all authority, all power, all wealth, all of heaven and earth are His, yet He became one of us. What kind of King is this Jesus? We begin our Advent season with the hope of the Messiah. In preparation, read Isaiah 11:1-5 and Romans 15:4-13.