December Reading from The Message

This month billions of Christians will celebrate the earthly arrival of God’s son. It is a cosmic demarcation line for all creation. We celebrate the humble beginning of Jesus’ life as we eagerly await his return. Do we wait with anxiety and fatigue? Or do we joyfully embrace the opportunities he has given us as we actively await his return?

“Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

“How blessed are those who wash their robes! The Tree of Life is theirs for good, and they’ll walk through the gates to the City. But outside for good are the filthy curs: sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters—all who love and live lies.

“I, Jesus, sent my Angel to testify to these things for the churches. I’m the Root and Branch of David, the Bright Morning Star.”

“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride.

Whoever hears, echo, “Come!”

Is anyone thirsty? Come!

All who will, come and drink,

Drink freely of the Water of Life!

I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book.

He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!”

Yes! Come, Master Jesus!

The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!

Scripture Insight

Come, Master Jesus!

John’s emphasis isn’t on the future, as such, but on the present that’s pregnant with futurity. We’re so used to thinking of time spatially—the past, present, and future as marks on a time line—but John would have us look at time differently. He uses two words for time: chronos and kairos. Chronos is duration; kairos is opportunity. We coolly measure chronos with clocks and calendars; we passionately lose ourselves in kairos by falling in love or leaping into faith. We must never dismiss chronos as unimportant—schedules and appointments are necessary in the course of living—but only by means of kairos can we comprehend Christ’s coming.

If we’re dominated by a sense of chronos, the future is a source of anxiety, or else it’s a source of discontent. But if we’re dominated by a sense of kairos, the future is a source of expectation that pours energy into the present.

In that view of time, nothing is remote, either in the distant past or in the far-flung future. Past and future come together in the present.

As Christians, we pray, “Yes! Come, Master Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). And whenever he comes, there’s always an element of surprise in the often unexpected ways he does so, which puts a keen edge on our expectations. No longer do we face the future with anxiety about chronology but rather with eagerness about his coming. We look to the future not as death-row prisoners counting down the days to the end but rather as eager children . . . full of hope . . . waiting for Christmas morning.

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