Not an Accidental Moment

Reflecting on the First Sunday of Advent: Two Days After Sunday (Year C)

Scripture

Psalter: Psalm 90

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:18-29

Epistle: Revelation 22:12-16

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Prayer

Give us ears to hear, O God, and eyes to watch, that we may know your presence in our midst during this holy season of joy as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Reflection

The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of long ago promises and centuries of waiting in hope. One thousand years before the nativity in Bethlehem, the Prophet Nathan promised King David that his House, that is his lineage, would be preserved and would flourish. By Jesus’ day, the one requirement to be the Messiah was to be a descendent of David. No Davidic ancestry, no Messiahship. It is therefore very fitting that the Book of Revelation would reach its end with a word from the Messiah himself. “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

The birth of Jesus was not an accident taking place in just any old time. The Messiah, the Savior of the World was born when the time was right. This was not an accidental moment, but an appointed one. It was the climax of the story played out in Israel’s history that had now reached its completion.

But the completion of Israel’s story in the birth of the Christ-Child in Bethlehem was also the beginning of a new story, a story also told by the Hebrew Prophets. It was the beginning of the fulfilment of the long awaited promise that salvation had come for the entire world. Jesus the Son of David, this Son of Israel, had arrived on behalf of all the sons and daughters of humanity.

In Jesus, the House of David continues forever and is a blessing to the world.

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