Our entire human existence is caught between our birth and our death. The author of Ecclesiastes bemoans the meaninglessness of the human lifespan. Perhaps you have sometimes felt the burden of similar thoughts. People come and go, yet what is left to show for it? It almost seems like a cruel form of punishment that God would place a desire for eternity in our hearts when we are stuck in a fallen, broken world, alienated from the One who could rescue us right now.
The season of Advent is a season of longing. We long to be freed from our predicament, for this world to be made right and beautiful. Our hearts ache for pain and suffering to end, but we feel helpless to bring it about. The older we grow, the more we long for our heavenly home.
The good news of Christmas is that God has A surprising remedy for us. Jesus entered our accursed world and bound Himself to the human condition to burst out of it in triumph over evil, death, and meaninglessness. Through Him, we share in His victory and live in hope each day!