You could have stepped into creation
With fire for all to see
Brought every tribe and nation to their knees
Arriving with the host of heaven
In royal robe and crown
The rulers of the earth all bowing down
But You chose meekness over majesty
Wrapped Your power in humanity
Glory be to You alone
King who reigns from a manger throne
My life, my praise, everything I own
To Jesus the King on a manger throne
You could have marched in all your glory
Into the heart of Rome
Showed them splendour like they'd never known
But You wrote a better story
In humble Bethlehem
… From heaven to the cradle
From cradle to the cross
Let heaven and nature sing
This is our King
But the grave couldn't hold Him
Our God has overcome
Let Heaven and nature sing
This is our King
Lyrics from part of the song, Manger Throne by Phil Wickham
Advent is the season of waiting. Waiting to celebrate Jesus’ first coming and looking forward with great anticipation to his second coming.
For centuries the Jewish people had been waiting for their Messiah to come. Isaiah had prophesied about him 700 years before, and they wanted one who would come in clouds of glory and put everything right. In Jesus’ day it was a Messiah who would drive out the hated Romans, but it could just as easily be the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, any of those nations who had oppressed God’s people. They wanted a Messiah who would arrive as the song above suggests.
However, what no one was expecting was a baby born in humility, born to poor, righteous parents and having nowhere to place their precious baby but a manger. Goodness knows what Mary thought of giving birth to the Son of God in such conditions.
The first recorded visitors were shepherds, those who were almost certainly looking after the sacrificial lambs for the temple. What wonderful symbolism that they should come and worship the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world by the ultimate sacrifice of his perfect life upon a terrible cross. The great shepherd of the people (Hebrews 13:20) visited by shepherds.
Then many months later, the magi arrived in an exotic caravan bearing fabulously expensive gifts, no doubt causing quite a stir in small town Bethlehem.
The Messiah had been born who would not only save the Jewish people, even the poorest but also rich Gentiles. He would save anyone who would come, bow down, and give their worship and adoration to him alone. He would save them not from oppressors but the greatest oppression, sin.
Jesus could have indeed come the first time in glory and majesty and swept mankind into a slavish obedience to the King of King and Lord of Lords. That path would not have saved us from the bondage of sin. Instead, he showed us the true path of love, service and sacrifice leading to redemption for all mankind. He invites us today to walk that same sacrificial path of lives yielded to him, overflowing with love and thankfulness for all he has done.
And so we also look forward with great anticipation to his second coming this time ‘in great splendour, with the host of heaven in royal robes and crown’ and he will right every wrong. Every oppressor, tyrant, dictator big and small will be dealt with in justice and righteousness, whilst believers will be rewarded and ushered into an eternity with him in the new heaven and earth.
What a wonderful future we have. God’s reign of righteousness coming to Earth and restoring everything to its original mandate.
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalm 85: 10. What a promise!
