Matthew 24:36, 44

But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the son. … Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

“Are you ready for Christmas?” Wherever you are today—at the mall, at work, or having dinner with friends—you will hear this question. For some of us, just the asking of the question strikes terror in our hearts. A few may smugly reply, “All ready!”—but they are definitely in the minority.

I love Christmas, all the things—decorating the house, hanging the lights, baking the cookies, even eating the fruitcake. It’s so easy to get sidetracked by the commercialism of the season that I find myself barely stopping to consider the simplicity of its beginning:  a weary mother, a babe, and a smelly manger. It’s not the look Hobby Lobby is promoting this year.

When was the last time you found yourself longing for something? I mean really longing for something of true importance, something lasting and eternal? Relief from a world gone crazy, a release of pressure from job stress, grown children who have lost their way, and bills and debt that seem to mount by the month? What if—just for a moment—we stepped away just to sit quietly before the Lord? What if we chose in that sacred moment to commit ourselves to something bigger? What if during this Advent season we chose to watch and wait not just for Christmas Day but to truly live as if we are longing for the second coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Choose with me this day to really look into the eyes of the oppressed, the weary, the marginalized, the poor, the lost among us. Those folks Jesus said He really came for. He promised we will encounter Him in the needs of another. He didn’t come just so that we could go to church. He came so that we could be salt and light in a world that really needs a little Jesus.

Contributed by Pam James