A Season of Anticipation: Morning Watch Mondays

My wife Leslie and I had been plotting and scheming, waiting for weeks for this moment, and it was finally here! My teenage daughter was on the brink of turning sweet 16, and THIS was going to be an EPIC present if I could make it happen. Taylor Swift tickets were going on sale to a select group of people, and yours truly was in the mix. Would I get the “Dad of the Year” award if I could pull this off? I blush at the thought of it…but I absolutely hope so!

So I sat at my desk here at Falling Creek all day that Tuesday but I’m not sure I got any actual “work” done (don’t tell Yates and Marisa…). I qualified and was locked into the presale, and waded through the waters of the online waiting room like one of our fishing guides stalking a trout on the Green River… and it paid off! We scored tickets to the concert, and I have one happy 16 year-old! Dad of the year for the moment at least, and I’ll take it.

Now my daughter finds herself filled with anticipation, imagining herself singing along with TSwift IN PERSON to one of the 9,000 songs she knows by heart. What will it feel like for her to be there? Will she ever be unhappy again after experiencing something like this? Will she be consumed with the excitement forever, or will she ever be able to Shake It Off? Only time will tell.

Have you ever looked forward to an event like this? Maybe it’s attending a huge sporting event like the World Cup, or the release of a new video game/console, or waiting to hear back from that special someone you’re hoping feels the same way about you that you do about them. Anticipation is wonderful and exciting, full of imagination, adventure and hope! It is as if we were made on purpose with a longing to experience something or someone out of this world that will blow us away and thrill us!.

We are made that way!

The Christmas season is approaching, and is all about anticipating the birth of someone who is by far the most fascinating, impactful, controversial, compassionate, powerful, loving, misunderstood, tender, and personal person to ever walk the earth. He was God being born into our world, and His name was Jesus.

Huge crowds rushed to be around Him when He was near, some cheering for Him and some jeering at Him. There have been more books and movies written about Jesus than anyone else in history, by a long shot. When He would go into a town some people would literally scream out for Him, while some would lay their sick in the road so that He might touch them and heal them. One of his closest friends was fishing one day and jumped clear out of the boat to swim to shore when he saw Jesus there. There was something about Jesus that made people react that way. I readily gave up a few hours for tickets the other day for a concert, but many people left everything they had to follow Jesus and be around Him wherever He was.

What would it be like if you could be face to face with God, the Maker of all things and in particular… YOU! How would you react? How do you think He would react?

This season provides us an opportunity to sit back and think about God loving us so much that He came all the way into our world. A God who does not make us buy tickets or stand far off from us, but is personal, close and intimate with us in our deepest thoughts and feelings. A God who delights at the thought of us, even though we may feel unsure about who we are or who He is.

Question to chew on: If you heard God was coming to a stadium near you, what lengths would you go to to buy a ticket to that event? Why or why not?

Thought to sit with: He would sell everything He has to get a front row seat to be face to face with you. He already has!

Enjoyed reading this “Morning Watch Monday”? Subscribe to our blog to get future posts delivered to your inbox!