Christmas may seem like a strange time to talk or write about the return of Christ. At the first Christmas, people probably didn’t think it an appropriate time to talk about the coming of the Messiah. They certainly didn’t think that the birth of a child had much to do with that.

In reality, Christmas is the perfect time to talk about the return of Christ. One theologian said it this way: “Jesus Christ is coming back to earth through a real sky on a real day to take real people to a real paradise. Wouldn’t you really like to be here to see that? Just as surely as you believe He lay in a manger, He’s going to peel back the sky and call us home.”

I suppose almost everyone believes He lay in a manger. Why is it so hard to believe that He is coming again to take us home and to bring redemption to the earth?

What can we say about His return?

First, it is a real event that will be a part of our future. We must be ready for that event. I take it to be a literal event when Jesus will return as promised by the angels at His ascension.

Second, Christ’s return will be at the time determined by the Father in heaven. In the same way that the birth of the Messiah and His sacrificial death came “in the fullness of time,” so His return will not be predicted by so-called experts, but it will be at the right time.

Third, we must be ready for that event. Jesus encouraged us to be ready for His return. He wants us to be watchful and ready. He wants us to be prayerful that we will not be ashamed when He returns.

Finally, we need to remember this is a hopeful event. Jesus underscored that sentiment when He said these words: “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21: 28). In the next to last verse of Scripture, John the Apostle pointed us to this hopeful time when he prayed: “Amen, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

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