RETURNING

I Was Just Thinking About – RETURNING.

The Christmas Season is filled with expectation. The commercial approach is to advertise special merchandise that will tempt and whet the appetite for things – from the very young to the older. There are special hours by merchants where some items are greatly discounted. People flood into the stores in the hope of finding “The Bargain” of an item they believe they need and should have. Children enter certain establishments to have their picture taken with and to tell Santa Claus what they want and would like to have. On Christmas morning, packages are torn open allowing one to see what they have received. Sometimes, there is disappointment because the expectation of a child (or adult) was for something other than what they received.

The days after are marked by people carrying what had been given as a gift returned to various stores to exchange it for something different or to get a refund for an item or items. The “Return” lines are often very long as persons bring their items for exchange or redemption.

The word “Return” has significance when considered with the true reason for the Christmas Season – the birth of a Savior who is Christ the Lord. The first use of “return” is recorded in Luke 2:8-20. The Angels had appeared to the shepherds who were in the fields watching over their sheep. Their response was: “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” The words are compelling in verses 16-18, “They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him.  And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” After their visit, verse 20 indicates what they did: “The shepherds RETURNED (to the fields and sheep), glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.”

The other example of the use of the word “Return” appears in Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi come seeking the newborn King of the Jews. When King Herod heard this, “he was disturbed.” He secretly summoned the Magi and: “He sent them to Bethlehem: Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” The Magi were the Wise Men of that day and perceived the evil intent of King Herod. After they had presented their gifts, verse 20 states: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they RETURNED to their country by another route.” Joseph and Mary take Jesus and flee to Egypt. Afterwards,  Verses 19-20 indicates: “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said: Get up, take the child and his mother and RETURN to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

At the Ascension of Jesus Christ, Acts 1:10-12, two men in white apparel say to the disciples: “Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will RETURN in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:12-14 finds the disciples RETURNING to Jerusalem and entering the Upper Room where they had been staying: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication,” They would soon be compelled by the Holy Spirit to make known the message of the Gospel to all people everywhere.

We are at a crossroad in the Church today. The lead headline in The Drudge Report today indicates: “Christians At Risk Of Extinction In Land Where Christmas Began…Two thousand years later, the Christian communities of the Middle East — descendants of the first Christians — persevere in their faith in Christ. They live in an era of violence, unrest and persecution. Many have been forced to flee their homes and many more their countries.” Obviously, the Church needs to RETURN to the Lord – His Gospel and His Plan.

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.