I vividly remember sitting my final HSC exam, knowing that in just two hours, my thirteen years of school would come to an end.

When the final “pens down” command was announced, one of my classmates, wearing a party hat he’d smuggled into the exam room, loudly let off a champagne popper to celebrate.

Right now, we’re also looking forward to a ‘hooray’ moment, when NSW will hit the vaccination targets and when the restrictions will be released.

Soon we’ll all be together, like we were before the pandemic, and it will be a moment to cherish.

Yet this event is nothing compared to the significance of the long-awaited arrival of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came in the first century.

For hundreds of years, God’s people had waited patiently for the time when this man would arrive, and then, finally, the moment came!

John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, captured his joy in the words of this song:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. (Luke 1:68-71)

They waited centuries for that moment, and the impact was unmatched by anything in history.

Now as we live as people of the risen Lord, we await the day when Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead and to bring about the new creation.

Yet, his patience means the salvation of those who still have not turned to Jesus to enjoy his forgiveness and friendship.

So, as we’re waiting for Jesus, let’s share the good news with all who will hear, and let us patiently wait for the greatest moment in the future of our world.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Sue Thompson via Flickr)

When I was a youth at church I used to love singing this song, ‘Soon and Very Soon’:

Soon and very soon, we are going to see the king.
No more dying there, we are going to see the king.
No more crying there, we are going to see the king.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re going to see the king.

It was such a simple, positive, uplifting ‘chorus’ that helped us set our focus on what mattered most in life, and what we all look forward to.

There’s a lot of talk right now about the difficulties our church and community faces in the coming weeks and months, especially in terms of what things will be like as doors start to open in different ways.

Yet, what must unite us above all is a focus on the return of the king, when Jesus comes to bring us safely home, where we will experience, together, the new creation.

And not only should we focus our own gaze on the return of Christ, we should keep this in mind as we continue to pray for and engage with the people in our society.

In these last days, we are closer and closer to the time when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead… and the groaning of creation reminds us that it’s soon and very soon.

There’s no better time to turn our conversation and prayers to proclaiming Christ faithfully to our village, valley and beyond.

We’re still locked into our homes for a bit longer, but since so many people can now use web browsers, it’s possible for our little church in Jamberoo to be broadcast into homes across our region and even our planet.

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king… so who are you going to ‘share’ our livestream with, so that they can become friends with Jesus before they meet him as their judge?

JODIE McNEILL 

(CREDIT: Dennis Yang via Flickr)