Advent is here!!! Christ is coming!!!

Advent is here!!! Christ is coming!!!

It is impossible for us to imagine what it was like to live in the times of the Old Testament.  Every day was Advent.  Jesus had not yet been born.  Christ had not yet come! The people of old could only imagine what we know of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection.

But God had not allowed them to remain in ignorance concerning His plan of salvation and the coming savior. God used the prophets to make known His plans by declaring His promises of redemption through the coming Messiah.

One of the most cherished of prophets is Isaiah.  On page after page of his book, Isaiah points to the coming savior:

 He will be the heir to the throne of David (Is 9:7). He will be born of a virgin (Is 7:14). His ministry will be in Galilee (Is 9:1-2). He will be rejected by the people (Is 53:3). He will be silent when accused (Is 53:7). He will be smitten and spat upon (Is 50:6). He will suffer as a sacrifice (Is 53:4, 5). He will be crucified with sinners (Is 53:12). He will be buried with the rich (Is 53:9). These are but a few of his prophecies.

It is little wonder that the great Lutheran hymn writer, Jaroslav J. Vajda (1919-2008), would write in the third stanza of his much beloved Christmas hymn, “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt”:

How should I not have known Isaiah would be there,

His prophecies fulfilled? With pounding heart I stare:

    A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me,

    A child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me.

LSB 369

Each Wednesday during this Adventtide we will let Isaiah help us in our preparation as we await once again the celebration of Jesus birth at Christmas.  Always in the background behind the beautiful image of the babe in the manger we will see the cross and the empty tomb.  We will see the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.  We will see the Savior who will one day come again in glory to bring us to our home with Him.

Pastor Quardokus