We know what it is like to wait with expectation. Before the birth in Bethlehem and before the angels sang, there were 400 years of silence. There was no word from the prophets, and no new Word from the Scripture. There was only silence. The Old Testament concluded with a warning from Malachi, along with a promise.

Malachi 3:1 The Lord who you seek will suddenly come…

The Intertestamental Period was silent on the surface, but God was preparing hearts for the Messiah to come into the world. Israel longed for a Deliverer. It has been said that silence was the soil, preparing the spiritual ground for the Seed of the Woman, who would crush the head of the serpent.

God broke into the silence with the cry of a newborn King. The angels told the shepherds- Fear not…I bring you good news of great joy. Silence turned to a song. Darkness turned to the dawn. Distance turned to Emmanuel- God with us.

Christmas expectation teaches us to trust even when things seem quiet, to believe even when we cannot see, to wait while we look to the Light of the World. Christmas is the evidence that when we wait, God always keeps His promises. The people waited, and God was faithful to send Jesus. Today we wait, and God will be faithful in the return of Jesus. Even so, come Lord Jesus!