We don’t sing “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” much in church anymore, and we also forget that the first Christmas was eagerly anticipated by God’s people for centuries. If we look at the things the prophets promised about Him, it will help us worship Him better.
If we are the Temple where redemption happens, what is our plan to draw people to Him? The answer is to relearn an ancient, almost forgotten practice: Hospitality. In a time when loneliness is an epidemic, when few people know their neighbors, something as simple as a meal together can be the starting place for something beautiful to happen.
When our bond with God was severed by our sin, He didn’t give up on us. He made a second Eden, a place for us to meet with Him and be redeemed. That place was the Temple, and the events that happened there teach us about a God who is mighty to save, the cost of our sin, and His plans for us.
