read
When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman and born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might be adopted as children. Ta. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts and cried out, “Abba!” father! “Therefore you are no longer slaves, but sons, and if you are sons, you are heirs through God (Galatians 4:4–7).
reflect
I record the time in my life based on when I met my wife, Kira. Her first 27 years were a “pre-Kira” period, many of which were years of longing and wondering about the wife he hoped would one day become her. The past 11 years have been “post-Kira” years, and my relationship with her has shaped me and changed the trajectory of my life in all kinds of wonderful ways.
What has changed in important ways in my personal history? What triggered the dramatic changes in the second half of my life? The Arrival of Love: A New Union, a New Covenant, The beginning of a new family.
Jesus’ entrance into history also marks an important turning point. We literally divide time according to the arrival of Christ: B.C., before the birth of Christ, A.D. (Western calendar) after. “When the fullness of time” (verse 4), history took a dramatic turn and God sent forth his Son.
I have always loved the mystical and lyrical phrase “When the fullness of time” is in today’s reading. That’s really interesting. Some factor about this particular point in time—the geopolitical dynamics of the Roman Empire, technological advances, Israel’s place in history—made it a “temporal moment” in which temporality needed to be overcome by eternal, eternal change. It was a very satisfying moment. And like the “fullness of time” moments in my life, the interruption and resumption of time had something to do with the beginning of a love that changed everything.
The suspension and resumption of time was associated with the beginning of a love that changed everything.
I sometimes stop and think about Kira coming into my life and how our married love has taken on new life (spiritually, in terms of our growth, and physically in the form of a child). ), I look back on it with deep gratitude. Therefore, the coming of Jesus into the world, the moment when human beings are given hope for new life through their covenant union with Jesus, is all the more miraculous. Jesus came not only to free us from sin, but to invite us into his family. His arrival made it possible for slaves to become sons, debtors to be heirs, and loners to be placed in families. Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection showed the world a love never seen before, inviting marginalized sinners into a Spirit-formed community characterized by a love that never dies. 1 Corinthians 13:8).
Everything really changed when Jesus entered the historical scene. No wonder time restarts. It’s no wonder that Christmas is the world’s biggest holiday. Or maybe it’s strange. It’s an epic, miraculous true story that we should never tire of telling.
respond
Consider the arrival of love in the form of Jesus, moving through time. Let’s think about what the world was like before his appearance in BC and what we are now in the AD era after his appearance. Let us pray and thank God for the love, freedom, and rest that we now experience because of His Son.
be happy
Come, you have been expecting Jesus for a long time
Born to set your people free
free us from fear and sin
find rest within you
– Charles Wesley, “Come, I have been waiting for Jesus.”
Editor’s note:
This meditation appears in A weary world rejoices: daily devotions for Advent Edited by Melissa Kruger (TGC, November 2021). Purchase at TGC Bookstore or Amazon.
