Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

 

            Time.  We are used to meeting the demands of time.  Work schedules have deadlines.  Taxes must be paid on time.  The plane or the bus are on a time schedule.  Newspapers have deadlines to meet before the presses roll or the article does not get published.  We have watches and clocks and alarms to set so we will not miss something.

 

            In life in general there are times for all types of things. Many know the passage from Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season, a time for…”  As we experience life, we cannot set a clock to tell us when we will be happy, sad, rejoicing, mourning, hospitalized, responding to this or that.  Many have learned all too well to be prepared for these untimely events that are part of life.

 

            In the Christmas account, we often forget that the Christmas account in Scripture begins with the announcement and birth of John the Baptist six months before the announcement and birth of Jesus.  John the Baptist in hi preaching announces the time of Jesus, when Jesus begins his teaching and preaching ministry leading up to his suffering, death and resurrection.  John the Baptist’s message is the message preparing us for Christmas.

 

            We hear the accounts in Matthew and in Luke of the birth of Jesus.  We hear how the angel appeared to Mary, and then to Joseph in dreams.  We imagine being on the hillside as a shepherd as the angels announce the newborn Savior and hurry off to see this great thing that the Lord has told us about.  We are in awe of the three magi, interesting and esteemed men from the east who come to worship the new-born king. 

 

            Today we prepare ourselves in many ways for Christmas.  Let’s go back to the Baptist’s cry.  Through John the Baptis, God instructs us how to prepare for Jesus’ coming, for the coming kingdom we wait for.

 

            At the manger we are the same as we are at the cross.  At the manger we see what appears to be a helpless little baby with Mary and Joseph doing the best they can to provide for this infant.  At the manger we see God who takes on our human form to conquer what we cannot conquer for ourselves.  We see God who comes down to earth to live every moment of life that we do, but overcomes all temptations.  In this birth it is time for him to do just that.  Jesus takes on our flesh and then suffers the death of being forsaken by his father so that we do not need to see that time.

 

            John’s message for this time is to repent.  Repentance is acknowledging sin, being sorrowful for that sin, and wanting to not sin again.  Repentance is doing this before God trusting in forgiveness, complete forgiveness.  It is a forgiveness that places all sins behind his back where he sees them no more.  It is a forgiveness that removes your sins as far away from you as east is from the west.  It is a forgiveness that is given you in your faith in this baby in the manger who does suffer and die for those sins you place at the manger and at the cross. 

 

            The timing of all of this is this, “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”  In other words, God does everything ahead of our time.  He knew from the beginning we would sin.  He knew from the beginning he would save us and how he would do that.  He knew from the beginning that he would come as true God and true Man to fulfill what we cannot do for ourselves.  That is because he loves you.  He wants you with him in the perfect image he created you.  He wants to show you how much he loves you as he sends his one and only son, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world so that all who believe in him will not perish but have eternal life.

 

            Repent today as God took your sins away yesterday.  We come to the manger today to rejoice in the victory that will be won at the cross.  Before we can die we must be born.  Before Jesus could die, he had to be born.  “The time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the Good News!”  The good news is our Savior is born so you will live with him in his resurrection. 

 

In Jesus timeless love.

 

Amen.