Your King Cometh!

Icy Clouds on a November Day!

(taken outside our church on the afternoon of November 28, 2004)

Hymn of the Day:

"Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending
Author: Charles Wesley


Based on Revelation 1:7

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him,

even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will

mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Lo, He comes with clouds descending,

Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand, Thousand, saints attending

Swell the triumph of His train;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

God appears on earth to reign!

Every eye shall now behold Him,

Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,

Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,

Shall the true Messiah see.

The dear tokens of His passion

Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation

To His ransomed worshippers;
With what rapture, with what rapture,

Gaze we on those glorious scars?

Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee,

High on Thy eternal throne,
Savior, take the power and glory,

Claim the Kingdom for Thine own;
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Everlasting God, come down. Amen ~

(Used by Permission - Public Domain)

~ Meditation ~

“Your King Cometh”

This Advent-oriented hymn of Charles Wesley, speaks of the Second Coming of Christ. When Jesus came the first time, only a few people saw Him - a few shepherds and angels, some animals, an innkeeper, other travelers, and perhaps three strangers in town - - - kings from a distant land.

What a contrast it will be when He returns for His Second Advent. Revelation says, “every eye will see Him” and Matthew says, “coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Even those who crucified will see Him and mourn Him. The day I snapped the photograph that appears on today's message, I was thinking of this hymn - - - "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending" - - - and if the Lord might return on just such a day from just such clouds in just such a sky! The picture isn't particularly "Christmas-y", but it did remind me of the hymn when I saw it. It is reminiscent, as well, of a rainbow . . . the symbol of God's covenant with humankind following the Great Flood.

Somewhere along the way, Wesley published a work called Hymns of Intercession for All Mankind, and in it appears this four-verse hymn. It is an excellent hymn from the scriptures, and one that should be used much more frequently than it is, as we contemplate and anticipate our Lord’s return. The hymn tune most often associated with the text is titled "Bryn Calfaria."

The beautiful words of this lovely hymn draw us a picture of what the scene might be like when Jesus comes to the earth a second time. Gone is the stable with the animals. Gone is the lowly, quiet birth to a Virgin and a carpenter of Nazareth. Gone is the innkeeper and his, “No room in the inn.” Instead we see Jesus coming down out of the clouds, with thousands of saints attending Him. There are shouts of “Hallelujah!” this time. Gone are the cries of the mobs that shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” We are told that "every eye" shall see Him, robed in all the majesty one can possibly imagine. We see, too, that "every eye", includes the eyes of all who betrayed Him, who sold Him out, who denied that He is who He is, as well as the eyes of the faithful who have loved and served Him all their days, and as well as everyone in between.

I guess the question for me is, "Where do I fit among that number?" How many times have I denied Him by my failure to serve Him? How many times have I unknowingly and unwillingly stood with the crowd yelling, “Crucify Him!” by my failure to follow Him and to heed His lessons? How many times have I “done it not unto Christ because I have done it not unto the least of His brethren?” I have loved Him all my life, and I have tried to serve Him to the best of my ability most of the time, but what about those times when I have done nothing and thereby allowed evil to happen?

I will never forget the friend of some years ago who was the first person to ever tell me, "Evil occurs when good people do nothing.” Am I a "good person" who allows evil to flourish because I fail to act? How many times have I been among that number? When I behold Christ in His glory will I behold Him with eyes of joy, or will He be, as the song says, to my eyes, "robed in dreadful majesty"? If Jesus were to make His Second Coming today, with what eyes would you behold Him?

Prayer ~ Dear Lord, we confess that we often fail to serve and love Thee as we know we ought to do, and we beg your loving and merciful forgiveness for our sins and our shortcomings, especially those which we commit by “default” as they may be the most grievous. Help us to live that we may sing with the angels and the host of saints, "Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee, high on Thy eternal throne . . . Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Everlasting God, come down.” Amen ~

Activity ~ Update your personal address/telephone book. Make a new one if you need to. This will help you get ready for your Christmas card and Christmas mailing.