When the right time came, God sent his Son.
Galatians 4:4a (Living Bible)
Jesus came at the right time, God’s time, for the Jewish people. For centuries they had been told by prophets to watch for the special one, the Savior/Messiah from God. Each day they prayed for him to come, and some of them tried to get themselves and the Jewish nation ready for him. The Pharisees thought that if they obeyed the law of the Old Testament thoroughly enough God would send the Messiah. The time Jesus was born was a time of great expectation. Because the Jews had languished for centuries under the control of the Persians, the Greeks, and then the Romans, their desperation grew; every year they were even more sure the time was right. The stage was set in the Jewish community for the entrance of God’s Son. At just the right time, God sent His Son.
Jesus also came at the right time, God’s time, for all the rest of mankind. The Jews tended to think the Messiah would be theirs exclusively, but the Old Testament taught that he would also be a light to all the world. This was never easy for Jews to understand, not even for Jesus’ first disciples. They realized that Jesus came for the whole world only after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, the time of Jesus’ birth has long been recognized as a pivotal time in world history. Some of the historians and observers of the day spoke of a general feeling of expectation in the entire Roman world. The Bible even gives evidence of this. The wise men were not Jews, but they must have been looking for something great to happen as they studied the stars and discovered the star that led them to Bethlehem. The Roman world was looking for something to believe in. At just the right time, God sent His Son.
Jesus came at the right time, God’s time for me. I was only twelve years old when God, using two friends just a couple of years older than me, brought Jesus into my life. Of course I knew about him before that, but that’s when he came to live in my heart. It was just the right time for me. I was trying to figure out who I was and what my life would be like. My future could have gone a lot of ways and many of them not very good. At just the right time, God sent His Son.
Jesus is still coming at the right time, God’s time, for people today. There are people around us who God has been preparing for the coming of His Son to their lives. Look around. A lot of people have been shaken lately by the economy and the terror situation. The divorce rate indicates to me that a lot of people are starved for love. People are lonely, and just plain scared of dying. God wants to use us to reach them the same way he used my two friends to reach me. Even though we are by no means perfect, God wants to use us. We are his hands and feet. We are what people see of his heart. He has chosen us to be the way he loves the world. At a literally crucial (the root of “crucial” is cross) time for them as at the crossroads of their lives, they can choose a life with meaning or a meaningless existence. They can choose life or death.
This is the right time for us to share what we know about Jesus. This is a time when people are finding that other things they have trusted in are not trustworthy. Many people feel that their world has been turned upside down. This is a time when they need God’s Son to be born in their hearts. At just the right time, God sent His Son.
Hello Ray;
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me, but I know something about you. I'm pastoring the Hanford congregation you used to pastor years ago. The congregation has grown down to about 25 - 30 people. I've attempted to help the congregation experience a new type of worship for them and me. I don't preach, but lead discussions in examinating life through question, dialogue and inspection. Then apply scripture to those areas we are examining. We meet in the fellowship hall around tables in a "U" shape circle. We sing and worship with extended prayer times, sharing and dealing with important situations as they come up. We've looked at all but two of Rob Bell's Nooma videos. Great discussion starters. I also love our format because the people feel free to make comments, ask questions, disagree and share what's really on their heart. It's not new or innovative, but it is a different way of doing "church". I've coined our sessions as "The Journey". I was going to have large printing put on a large blank wall with those words. Because I believe everyone is on a journey, individual, special and uniquely personal. There is freedom and permission to share our deepest concerns, questions, doubts, thoughts etc. If we can't do that in church with our "family" then where can we share?
This last week I shared the same scripture in Gal 4, coupled with Micah about God turning the hearts of the fathers toward his children etc. Jesus became the fulfilling of that prophecy in Micah. The 400 years of silence saw many "additions" to the Jewish way of doing things. We discussed that we're not all that different. We often make more laws than we could ever obey hoping that would make us "do" the right thing. When it's really a matter of the heart.
Looking forward to dialoguing and blogging with you. I tenured my resignation from the church effective the 31st of Dec. mostly due to finances. Many churches in our area cannot afford full-time, part-time or even bi-vocational ministers. Buildings have become a heavy burden to maintain and to keep the people warm in winter and cool in the summer. The future is uncertain but I'm hopeful and grateful for the opportunity to have served Hanford, now called Central Community Church.
Blessings,
Jim Ziessler