Advent is drawing to close, and our preparations for Christmas are done. But have you used this time to prepare only to give “Christmas” gifts or have you always prepared yourself to receive the Gift of Christmas? Are you ready to accept the terrifying and amazing gift that God gives on Christmas? Are you truly ready to receive the King of Israel, born of the Father before all ages?
In the readings today, we hear God’s promise throughout the ages to give His people what they desperately ask for, a King. A King to rule over them justly, protect them, and save them. A righteous King to whom they can submit in perfect trust. A King “to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life” (Luke 1:74-75).
God’s people did not call out to Him only for freedom. They asked to be ruled, protected and led. They asked to serve one greater than themselves. Israel had longed for its King.
Before the time of the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel in the period of the Judges, the people pleased with Samuel, prophet and last of the Judges, to intercede to LORD and ask them He give them a King. (1 Samuel 8). Despite first offering a warning, God relented and allowed the people to receive their King. And after the failings of Saul, God raised up David from the fields to be King of Israel and promised that his “throne shall be established for ever.”
This was the promise of God. Not that we would receive freedom from rulers, but instead that we would receive a just ruler. After the fall of the Kingdom of Judah to the Babylonians when God’s people were sent into captivity, they did not cry out from Babylon for freedom from Kings. They cried out for the re-establishment of the Throne of their King. This is the ancient prophecy and promise fulfilled on Christmas: that the people would finally receive their King.
But in our hearts today, do we want a King? The modern world recoils from Kings as an archaic relic from a time people were subjugated and lacked freedom. The modern person will say that we have long since thrown off the shackles of being subjects to another person. We are free people who need no king to rule us, only we can judge ourselves and set our boundaries says the modern man. We do need to be “saved”, we need to be tolerated and given license, says the modern man.
So as we are about to recall the gift that Our God gave to us, is it a gift that we can accept? Can we give ourselves to our gift? Can we accept in trusting submission ourselves to Christ, promised the King of Israel and King of the Universe?
—Ryan Scheel, Founder of uCatholic
