December 16, 2018 The Truth Shall Set you Free
If Advent (the oft forgotten season that precedes Christmas) means anything, it means truth. The truth about Who is coming and Why he’s coming.
For thousands of years, the figure of the woeful prophet, standing in the town square proclaiming the end is near, has made people laugh. Why? Because the end isn’t really near, is it? We’re young and healthy and we’ll live forever. Jesus hasn’t come yet, perhaps he never will, but if he does it certainly won’t be any time soon. In the meantime, let’s live for ourselves as if God were only an afterthought.
Jesus spoke about people who live in that manner, who fail to search for truth and instead live a lie. A rich man builds barn after barn to store his stuff but his life is taken suddenly and without warning. Bridesmaids fail to bring along enough fuel for their lamps and miss the arrival of the groom. All the people who take lightly the coming of the Lord and are tragically unprepared when He arrives.
During Advent, the season of hope and expectation of Christ’s coming again, we’re looking at the Gospel of John’s declarations about the infant born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. He is the eternal Word; the light of the world; the Way to salvation; the Bread of Life. This Sunday we hear Him as the Truth that must be heard – the truth who is coming and who will set us free!
Peace in Christ, Pastor Bob