An Appointment with God
Author
Faustino de Jesús Zamora Vargas
Summary: Christmas is an appointment with God that we can accept or ignore. For some, it becomes an occasion for revelry and abundance; others will not even have that. But God offers those who come to him the banquet of reunion and the grace that strips away our sin. He cares more about what is within us than about appearances, and invites us to receive his love. Even if our table is laden with delicacies, without Jesus they will do us no good. Like those who answered his call, let us come to our appointment with him, sit with him, and listen to him. In his presence we find fullness of joy.
God arranges His appointments with humankind. When He is involved, it is a divine appointment. Christmas is an appointment with God that many accept and others ignore. Mr. Frenzy is already eager to make his entrance at the celebration, dressed in his costume of wild abandon and delirium, carrying a quiver full of spirits, nougat, walnuts, hazelnuts, grapes, and apples. Some await him eagerly because Christmas is always an excuse for revelry and a table laden with food.
But many will have neither one nor the other. If only they would accept the appointment with God, He could provide the banquet and a tailor-made outfit for the celebration of reunion. When God invites you, He makes the tailoring of His grace available for the gathering, to dress you with dignity and strip you of the rags of sin. God is not as interested in your appearance as He is in your inner being—in what is invisible to human eyes, though not to the Father who searches the heart. That is what matters to Him: your soul and your spirit. It is there that He puts the finishing touch of His immense love, so that you may fall in love with His presence.
There may be delicacies on the table of your life, but without Jesus seated at it, they will do you no good. Christmas, then, is an opportunity to look at God through the eyes of Jesus. So keep your appointment with Him; do not stand Him up while you toss rose petals into the air, whispering, “He loves me, He loves me not.” He loves you! Even if you resist accepting His love.
Abraham and Jacob kept their appointments; Isaac and Noah walked to meet Him; Esther and Joseph could not hold back. David wrote Him poems to draw near His throne. On the day God summoned him, Isaiah declared to Him in visions that he was ready to commit himself. Matthew followed Him without hesitation; Paul preached about Him from the moment he heard His voice on the road to Damascus.
And you? Which table do you prefer? Which appointment appeals to you? I invite you on the adventure of sitting with Him and listening to Him. There is no better place than His lap, nor any light more iridescent than that which shines from His eyes. The psalmist of Israel said it in song: In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Happy Holidays!
May God bless His word!