Seasonal music on the radio. Lights on houses (sometimes beautiful, often garish). Long back-ups at the McAdenville exit. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” in this “Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

What are you looking forward to this season?

You may have grown up with many wonderful Christmas memories: A mysterious present under the tree that you couldn’t wait to open; excitement about what might show up in your stocking; eagerly anticipating your loved one opening the perfect present you wrapped; building a snow fort after a big storm; sipping cider around a fire. The songs and lights stir up such memories, and you can’t wait to see what this year might bring.

Praise God for family traditions and happy childhood memories. Praise God for the opportunity for grandparents and cousins and nieces and nephews to gather together. Praise God for thoughtful gifts and joyous reunions.

But I ask you: What are you looking forward to most of all? What should you look forward to most of all?

The birth of Jesus?

No. Biblically, the answer is not the birth of Jesus.

Consider Simeon and Anna, those two elderly saints who encounter the infant Jesus in Luke 2. What were they looking forward to? Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25); Anna similarly was among those “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). The birth of their long-promised Messiah – “the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26) – was a necessary and important step to bringing about this consolation and redemption. But they were looking forward to much more than a baby! They were looking forward to the fulfillment of passages such as Isaiah 52:7-10 and Isaiah 40:1-2, 5:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  8 The voice of your watchmen–they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.  9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.  10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. . . .  5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Simeon and Anna were looking forward to seeing the payment of every sin of God’s people, to seeing then the end of sinning among those people, and to seeing the glory of the Lord. God mercifully revealed to them that through the baby Jesus, He would fulfill all these prophecies – but not at that time. Not in the first century. As the author of Hebrews puts it, those such as Anna and Simeon “though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40).

So in looking for the consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem, Simeon and Anna were eagerly anticipating what we now know as the second coming of Jesus – what Paul calls “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) when God “will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8).

Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary while she was still a virgin. The angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest!” Shepherds bowed before Him; wise men brought Him gifts. May we remember these truths with joy.

But may we also remember that this baby was born to die, in order to redeem His people from their sins; God raised Him from the dead and He sits at the Father’s right hand until He makes His enemies His footstool (Psalm 110:1; see also Luke 20:43, Acts 2:35, Hebrews 1:13, and Hebrews 10:13). And this Jesus, our Messiah, our Christ, “having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

Does that include you? Note what Hebrews 9:28 says: Those who are saved are those who “are eagerly waiting for him”.

So what are you looking forward to this season? Family? Presents? Warm fires and hot cider? Chestnuts roasting?

More than all these, may you eagerly long for, may you lovingly pray for the momentous, magnificent return of our Lord and Savior.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

(These next three Sundays our services will celebrate Christ’s first advent by turning our thoughts to His second advent. Our Christmas Eve service will do the same. Please join us, and thereby deepen your desire for Jesus’ return.)