FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT | LONGING
Psalm 2:7-8; Matthew 25:31-34
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
REFLECTION
This particular verse from Psalm 2 is quoted in the New Testament several times by Paul (Acts 13:33) and by the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:5, 5:5). Each reference points out how Jesus is the fulfillment of the words, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." In his teaching at the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, Paul declares to the Jews and to the "God-fearing Gentiles" that Jesus is the Messiah about whom John the Baptist preached. For centuries the Jews had been looking for this Messiah and longing for the Savior of Israel. Paul was trying to convince them that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise made to their ancestors.
We live on the other side of Bethlehem. We long not for the birth of the Christ child, but for the return of the King. We long for the Son of Man to come in all of his glory and bring justice to this broken world. Longing, it seems, has been a hallmark of God's people from the beginning. Perhaps God desires for us to have an ache in our soul for his return. Maybe there is something sanctifying and holy in the process of waiting and longing that is with intention and by design. For as we long for justice; as we hope for restoration; as we wait for the day with no more tears or sorrow, then we are seeking things that are above. In those moments we are longing for God himself, without limits, without the boundaries of this earthly plane.
Come, Lord Jesus.
RESPONSE
1. What do we learn about God's faithfulness from the prophetic reference to his Son in Psalm 2:7-8?
2. How does Matthew 25:31-34 describe the second coming of Christ?
3. Do you have a longing for Christ's return? Why or why not?
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