Return of the King

When people eagerly anticipate something happening they do all kinds of crazy and excessive things. Like before the release of the “I phone” and big name video games people will camp in the street in front of the stores sometimes days in advance. Maybe anticipation has gotten the better of you too.

It happens with movies too, back in mid November 2003, I heard a woman tell how her son was going nuts counting down the days until the release of the movie “Return of the King.” Since then I have read and heard many similar accounts of impatient anticipation for this film. Now, J.R.R.Tolkien was one of the great Christian authors of the twentieth century. And I am a Tolkien fan too, but this still struck me as excessive.

Yet, as I look at the Gospel accounts of the first Christmas, I find a good bit of “excessive” behavior.

For example, look at Simeon and Anna in the Temple. They spent their lives waiting for the Messiah. Simeon goes to the Temple sensing the Messiah is there. He goes through the crushing crowd to a young couple with a baby boy. Grabs the baby and says, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” {Luke 2:29-32} If you really think about it and it is easy to imagine how this scene was “excessive”.

What about those shepherds? They storm into Bethlehem in the night then wake the town with a story about angels and a baby. Again, try to imagine the scene they caused. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what he shepherds said to them. … The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” {Luke2:17–20} That also is excessive behavior.

Then you have the Magi. They see a strange star, go on a long and arduous trip, into a land where as gentiles they are not welcome to Herod and ask, "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”“{Matthew 2:2} That sounds pretty excessive too. But it gets more incredible. The Magi follow the star to Bethlehem, to a particular house, then go in bow down before a young child and give him gold, incense, and myrrh!

If someone acted like these people today, you would probably call them weird or at best some kind of fanatic. This brings me back to the incredible, fanatic way people are acting about the “Return of the King” movie. One newspaper writer wrote that he had “been waiting thirty years for this movie.”

People around the world planned months ahead so that at midnight December 17th they could see the movie as soon as possible. The Magi watched the sky for a star then went and worshiped the real King at his first advent. Simeon worked his whole life to be ready for the Spirit’s prompting to see the advent of the Messiah. The Shepherds made sure the whole town knew about the Savior-King’s arrival.

If people can act with this kind of devoted zeal for a movie release, and if God’s people could act in such zealous and “excessive” ways over the birth of Jesus Christ: how should you and I act this Advent season? Remember too, as Christians we are waiting for the return of the KING of kings!

Observe the third week of Advent with righteous and obedient zeal remembering the first Advent and anticipating the second, so that if the King should return you are ready!

Written by Rev. Daniel B. Baker December 2003



Articles by Rev. Daniel B. Baker :: Webmaster: Joseph I. Baker