In The Fullness of Time

I wrote this a few years ago as the first reading in the choir Christmas program at church, to be read right before the congregational hymn Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. Since I posted the words to that hymn today, I’ve decided to repost this piece right above it.

In eternity past, prior to his first creative command, God had a plan for the history of his creation. At the very centre of his plan was His own Son, foreordained to redeem humankind from the ruinous results of sin. That God’s own Son would come as Redeemer was at the heart of God’s purposeful will—the plan that he invariably works in all things to accomplish.

It was a glorious plan, but a plan not yet revealed and a plan not yet unfolded in history. And then, piece by piece, God’s word revealed his purpose, and piece by piece, his command brought it to pass.

We have a hint of God’s redemptive plan in the curse of the serpent: “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The plan is there, too, in his promise to Abraham: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Piece by piece, God’s word is revealing his purpose, and piece by piece, his command is bringing it to pass.

It was according to his plan that God brought his people into captivity in Egypt and then raised up Moses as God’s agent of redemption to bring them out from slavery, foreshadowing—anticipating—the greater Redeemer to come. The plan is there, too, when God gave the law—the perfect law written in stone; the perfect law that no one could keep; the perfect law that held people captive under a curse. It was this perfect law that showed the need for the great Redeemer to come. In all this, piece by piece, God’s word is revealing his purpose, and piece by piece, his command is bringing it to pass.

The prophets of old spoke, not according to their own will, but according to God’s plan, carried along by the disclosing work of the Holy Spirit, and moved by him to record those prophecies for us. God’s perfect plan raised up Isaiah, who prophesied of a virgin who would conceive a son whose name would be “God is with us.” God’s Spirit set Jeremiah apart from his mother’s womb to be a prophet to the nations, to reveal the coming new covenant when God’s perfect law would be written on his people’s hearts. These prophets, too, were pieces of the plan, teaching God’s people to expect the day when their great Redeemer would come. Yes, piece by piece, God’s word is revealing his purpose, and piece by piece his command is bringing it to pass.

And now the counsel of his will calls for the fulfillment of his promise. It is the right time according to his purposeful plan; it is the perfect time for everything to change.

It is the fullness of time.

Come Thou Long-Expected

We sang this hymn of Charles Wesley on this first Sunday of Advent.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• How Blest Is He Whose Trespass at Hiraeth
• What E’er My God Ordains Is Right at Field Stone Cottage
• Lord’s Day 48, 2008 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Be Still, My Soul at joythruChrist
• Lo! Christ Comes with Clouds Descending at Conjubilant with Song
• When Shades of Night Around Us Close at The Happy Wonderer
• Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending at Nova Scotia Scott
• Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon: Another word from Spurgeon for the postmoderns among us at Pyromaniacs
• Who Is This So Weak and Helpless at Whatever Things

Have you posted a hymn today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Being Thankful on November 29

Have I really got this near to the end of this month without saying that I’m thankful for my kids? Well I am! They are pretty good company and I couldn’t get on as well without their help. They do things for me like install my windows and cut my hair and help me bring my treadmill home from Canadian Tire.

• Ann is thankful that her mom is out of the hospital and more.
• Kim of The Upward Call is thankful for God’s perfect timing.
• Becky is thankful for limitless bloggability so she could set up her new blog to be able to publish what she has learned and will learn about Celiacs disease. She is also thankful that the Lord has enabled her to face gluten intolerance and all that it entails.
• Suzanne is thankful for a cell phone and a good signal.
• Connie is thankful for after Thanksgiving turkey gumbo.
• Liz is thankful for a calendar of slow cooker recipes and more.
• Dorothy is thankful for her extended family.
• Kim of Hiraeth is thankful that “the last day of our month of Thanksgiving is also the first day of our celebration of the Advent season.”
• Willow is thankful for a safe trip home from San Diego.

What are you thankful for?

I’m celebrating good gifts from God during the month of November and hoping you’ll be thankful for your good gifts, too. Here’s how you can join in the thanksgiving and even, perhaps, get something material from it. If you’ve posted something you’ve posted something you’ve expected me to include and you don’t see it on the list, please let me know. It’s a lot to keep track of and I do miss things sometimes.