We’re expecting a baby! We already know her name, Zoe, which comes from the Greek word meaning “life.” By the time this magazine reaches you, our daughter Tami will have given birth to Zoe. Her birthdate, a scheduled C–section, is the day before Thanksgiving. What a day of rejoicing that will be!
For me, Zoe is a long–expected child. Through my husband’s five children, we already have five “grands,” but this will be the first of my four daughters to give birth. As that time approaches—it’s truly a countdown as I write these words—I’m in the “I–can’t–wait” stage.
We’re expecting another baby too. We relive our anticipation of this child every year as Christmas approaches. But I don’t think we can ever quite comprehend what it was like for the Israelites to wait for the long–prophesied Messiah. Most were well beyond the “I–can’t–wait” stage. They were expecting a king in the line of David who would restore Israel to its former glory.
But that’s not who the baby Jesus was. We sing Charles Wesley’s words, “Come thou long–expected Jesus, born to set thy people free” because we know that He came not to restore an earthly kingdom, but to give people a chance at entering a heavenly Kingdom. His name, Jesus, means “God rescues.”
Like any baby, Jesus brought great joy to his family. But for no other baby in the history of the world has there been such rejoicing—a host of angels sang for Him in the star–studded night when He arrived. And for no other baby in the history of the world was more ever expected—He was to live a sinless life to die on a Cross. Because of that, this “long–expected Jesus” reigns forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Does the One who was “born a child, and yet a king” reign in your heart today? If so, you can say of Christmas, “What a day of rejoicing that will be!”
Linda
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