There is nothing more exciting than the arrival of a much anticipated event. The Cleveland Cavaliers waited 4-agonizing years for the return of LeBron James and upon his arrival back home, the city was in a state of mass euphoria. In 2010, he left Cleveland for the greener pastures and championship opportunity that lied elsewhere and even though he left Cleveland under a barrage of hate and disdain, the city could hardly wait for the return of the self-proclaimed King James.
Despite how much pain and grief he put the entire state of Ohio through when he announced that he was “taking his talents to South Beach“, the fans waited patiently and eagerly for his return. After spending four years in Miami, His possible return to Cleveland raised the hopes and expectations of not only a team trying to recover from his earlier departure, but also the hopes and expectations of an entire state. It was amazing to witness the number of Cavalier fans, as well as NBA fans all across the country, who stood on tip-toe anticipation to see what James’ decision would be when the time came to announce where his next stop would be.
As the suspense built, and the speculation filled the airwaves, James uttered the words Cleveland fans had been hoping to hear: the time has come to comeback home! The final words in his essay written in Sports illustrated on July 11, 2014, was “I’m Coming Home” and for thousands of NBA fans, the time that everyone had waited for had finally arrived so let the season begin! Well, as we stand in this Advent season, we are excited as well! Not over the fact that LeBron came home, but we are just like those basketball fans who waited a long time to see the arrival of the King!
Jesus, the King of kings, had waited as long as he could possibly wait and the time had come for the season to begin! The season of favor, power, liberation, vindication, restoration, peace, hope and joy, all wrapped up in the person of Jesus the Christ! The season had finally come for wrongs to be righted; the last to be first; the weak to be strengthened and the empty to be filled and that’s why we celebrate- because the Time Has Come! The greatest thing to ever happen to mankind came through the womb of a woman and God is teaching us here that when the time has come, He will bring out of you the greatness that He has put inside of you!
We celebrate this time because it reminds us of the truth that God has placed greatness inside each of us and when the time comes, what’s in you has to come out of you! Ádvent, the season of prolonged darkness, is about the arrival of greatness and it’s during this season that we get excited! It’s during the times of our lives when the nights are longer than the days, that God performs His greatest work. When the time came for the baby to be born, God ushered in a new world order where outsiders would find a place, the humble would be filled with joy, and the oppressed will be given hope.
“When the time came for the baby to be born”, God stepped into the human experience to remind us that He has not forgotten us, or left us abandoned to the brokenness we have created. “When the time came for the baby to be born”, God introduced Himself to humanity. For the betterment of our families, communities and our world, the time has come for us to experience life on a whole new level!
Committed,
Pastor Kenney
Third Baptist Church Hampton 