Guest Writer: Don Follis
Pondering the 3-fold coming of Christ during Advent
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20
Pierce Chapel Trinity Cathedral Little Rock
When the first Advent candle was lit on Sunday, November 27, the congregation sang, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” As we sang, I thought of the 3-fold coming of Christ – the Christ-child born in a stable, the triumphant Christ returning to claim his own at the end of the age, and the Christ who stands constantly knocking at the door of our heart.
Indeed, Christ has not just come as a baby in the manger. Nor is he only coming in glory as the triumphant Christ of Revelation. Jesus is at work this very day, coming to those who open their hearts and invite him in.
Evidence of Christ’s coming can be seen around the world.
I recently talked with an Assembly of God missionary, who told me of the hundreds of churches that have started in the southern hemisphere in recent decades. “The majority of the world’s Christians now live in the southern hemisphere,” he said.
A Korean missionary serving in Istanbul, Turkey, told me of people he knows in South Korea who attend a church attended by 100,000 people. “Some of the world’s largest Christian Churches are found in Asia,” he said.
In discussions I had with some young pastors about incorporating silence, centering prayer, and contemplation in the life of their congregation, one pastor said, “We are reclaiming some of Christianity’s great Eastern traditions.”
This morning in the quiet of my office, I did what I do every morning. I made the sign of the Cross and prayed, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.”
During Advent, I am adding this line: “Help me be aware today of the ‘constant coming’ of Christ in my life.”
Christ is knocking on the door of my heart and your heart, inviting us to open the door. For the last few days, I’ve been singing an old gospel song I have not thought about for decades. The words of the old Sunday School song I sang as a boy are deeply entrenched in my mind:
Into my heart,
Into my heart,
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
Come into today; come in to stay.
Come into my heart Lord Jesus.
Don Follis
Pastor-to-Pastor Initiatives