Christmas is a season of longing. Maybe you’re longing for family gatherings, for a break from the busyness, or for that perfect moment with loved ones. But as Pastor Josh White reminded us on this first Sunday of Advent, the Christmas season gives us a unique opportunity to ask a deeper question: Where is our longing truly focused?
Through a careful walk through Scripture, Josh showed us that the whole arc of the Bible—from Abraham to the prophets to Simeon to us—points to one central truth: God has promised to send a Messiah, He did it once in Jesus Christ, and He will do it again. Our longing, then, should be fixed on that return.
The Longing That Started It All
God’s plan to bless the world began with a man named Abraham. In Genesis 12, God made a remarkable promise:
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
— Genesis 12:1-3
Over centuries, God sharpened that promise through the prophets. Isaiah wrote with stunning detail about the coming King:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”
— Isaiah 9:6-7
And Isaiah 7 gave an even more specific sign—a virgin would conceive and bear a son called Emmanuel. This is what the nation of Israel longed for: the promise that God would restore David’s throne through a coming King.
When Longing Was Fulfilled
Four hundred years of silence passed. Then, in Luke 2, we meet a man named Simeon. He was righteous and devout, “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ.
“Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.'”
— Luke 2:28-32
Can you imagine the weight of that moment? Simeon held the promised Messiah in his arms. Generations of longing found its answer in a baby born in Bethlehem. That is what we celebrate at Christmas.
Our Longing Right Now
But here’s the striking thing: we’re in between two Advents. The first has come; the second has not. And that puts us in a unique position—we know what Simeon felt, but we’re still waiting. Paul describes this tension in Romans 8:
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we groan inwardly as we wait for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”
— Romans 8:22-23
The creation is waiting. We are waiting. And the longer we live, the more we recognize that nothing in this world—not politics, not possessions, not achievements—will fully satisfy the longing God placed in our hearts.
Paul understood this. Near the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that great day—and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Notice that phrase: “loved his appearing.” This is what Advent calls us to. Not just belief that Jesus will return, but an active, daily love for the hope of His return.
The Certainty of His Return
God has never failed to keep His promises. The same God who promised a Messiah and sent Him at the perfect time will send Him again. The prophet Hosea wrote centuries before Christ:
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. His going forth is prepared as the morning.”
— Hosea 6:1-3
Just as surely as the sun rises each morning, the Messiah will return.
And Titus 2 gives us the practical outworking of this hope:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
— Titus 2:11-13
So What?
Where is your longing focused this Christmas season? It’s easy to let our hearts drift toward temporal things—plans, presents, comfort. But the message of Advent is that true satisfaction is found only in the return of Jesus Christ.
This December, as you gather with family, as you sing carols, as you reflect on the year behind you, ask God to align your longings with His promises. He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us—will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
Come, Lord Jesus.
Scripture References
- Genesis 12:1-3 — God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations
- Isaiah 7:14 — The sign of the Virgin and Emmanuel
- Isaiah 9:6-7 — The prophecy of the coming King
- Luke 2:28-32 — Simeon’s song when he held the Messiah
- Romans 8:22-23 — Creation groaning, waiting for adoption
- 2 Timothy 4:7-8 — Paul’s confident hope in Christ’s return
- Hosea 6:1-3 — God’s promise to revive and raise His people
- Titus 2:11-13 — Waiting for the blessed hope while living godly lives