We begin our Advent series: “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” As that old hymn correctly highlights, the New Testament - especially the Gospel accounts - are teeming with people yearning for the Old Testament promises of God to be fulfilled. In the face of their daily problems, they longed for God to keep his promises to them tangibly. For many of us as adults, that sort of anticipation has rolled over into cynicism or become just a shallow Christmas nostalgia. The closest we get to that feeling is watching kids visibly shake with anticipation of opening presents. Could God really be that good - especially when it's something much more important than a toy? Or will he disappoint me again? We will spend the next three weeks talking about three of the 'presents' they longed for - and frankly which we do, too: our need for a prophet, a priest, and a king. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus: Prophet” (Luke 4:14-30).
