Day 2

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Day 2

from the reading plan


Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Colossians 1:14-23, Revelation 1:8


What is Christmas, if not a holiday built upon memory and anticipation?

Throughout the centuries, followers of Jesus Christ have taken time in the weeks leading up to Christmas day to observe a season of remembering and anticipating. We call this season Advent. The word “advent” is a Latin word that means “coming” or “arrival.” 

During this season, Christians celebrate by remembering something that really happened—the first coming of Jesus Christ, born meek and lowly as a humble king wrapped in swaddling clothes, all those years ago in that manger in Bethlehem.

But it is also a time to anticipate something we’re still waiting for—Jesus’s glorious return as the mighty One of God with the words “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” lighting up His blazing robe and His thigh (Revelation 19:16). 

The first advent has already happened; the second advent, His return, is something we still await. This means that we now live between two advents. The advent season invites us to anticipate this coming glory as we remember the greatest gift the world has received. So what, specifically, do we remember during Advent? 

We remember the story of how, long before Jesus’s birth, God’s people ached for His arrival. 

We remember that God promised to send a Savior, and we remember God provided Himself to fulfill that promise. 

We remember the story of Jesus’s birth. We remember Mary’s courage, Joseph’s fear, and Herod’s bloodlust. We remember the angels telling the lowly shepherds that a Savior had been born and that they would find Him in a manger. We remember the learned men from the east laying their gifts at the feet of the boy-King.

We remember the unbreakable link between Christmas and Easter. We remember the reason for Jesus’s birth—how He took on flesh and blood in order that He might lay that life down in the place of the sinners He came to save. We remember how when He was raised from the grave on Easter morning, He defeated the power of sin and death. 

This is what we remember during Advent. All of this is meant to stir in us a longing for His return. Come, Thou long-expected Jesus! 

Post Comments (12)

12 thoughts on "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus Day 2"

  1. Stephen says:

    Good morning all,

    I just want to encourage the men that read this devo to comment below! My wife does she reads truth and it blows me away how much interaction the women have.

    So my prayer is for this community grow, and we can be iron sharpening iron.

    I am so thankful Jesus died for my sins and we get to live only by his grace.

    1. Griffin Wagg says:

      Hello. I love advent. I love how God fulfills his promise and how ultimate it is that Jesus became a lowly baby and invited lowly and broken people like me to come to Him. The fact that there was this ultimate moment when Jesus shows up on the scene and both the wise men and the shepherds, complete oppositea, come to worship the new born king.

    2. Paul J. says:

      Thanks for the encouragement, Stephen. I wasn’t going to interact in the comment section until I saw your call to action.

      Fellowship and mentorship are so important for our continued growth together through Christ. I am eager for both.

      I am grateful for the reminder provided by this devotional- that we all have a shared anticipation for the coming return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It brings me great joy knowing that we are in between two advents and the opportunity we now have to prepare for that day.

  2. Matt Casburn says:

    Thank you for this beautiful reminder. With all the hustle and bustle of the “Christmas season” it can be easy to forget the real reason for this season. I am excited for this journey, to reflect on The God who was, who is, and who is to come. Looking forward to reflecting with you all.

    Blessings, Matt

  3. Jray says:

    Stephen, while I think comments on here about the days scriptures and devotions are great I saw that there was 265 comments yesterday on shereadstruth and that is overwhelmingly. I don’t think any website should be used to replace the community of the local church and the personal sharing of the burdens that occurs there. I just don’t like seeing it become like social media where people think they need to check back 6 times a day to see if people replied to their comments and just become another addiction. Just my thoughts.

  4. Brandon Veller says:

    This is why I love Advent.

    The remembering and anticipation.

    We can easily forget how wild and incredible Christ’s coming was, or we let it become a common thing that doesn’t amaze anymore.

    Advent helps me to remember just how wonderful God is. He came as a Man, as a lowly baby! And it reminds me to eagerly anticipate His next coming.

    Praying for you brothers during this season!

  5. Truth Seeker says:

    JRAY
    This is Truth Seeker from SRT
    The community responses are NOT like social media ( perhaps you should actually READ the responses – ALL 265 of them – before you liken our community to social media where one checks often to count responses.
    WE the community of SRT Pray for each other ! WE the community of SRT ask for Prayers from others! WE the community of SRT UPHOLD one another and support each other as Godly women should, NOT gossiping as you allege. WE are WOMEN of GOD who love Him and desire to follow HIS ways. This SRT community which you so very flippantly ASSUME is gossip is FOLLOWING GOD as a Christian woman should. We seek counsel from MATURE Godly women when we have questions and the questions and prayer requests are answered ! We uphold one another and pray for each other and seek counsel from one another which is Biblically ordained ! WE the community of SRT are following GOD and His Word. Perhaps you should open your Bible and spend time studying the WORD of God so that you will understand what this is all about.

    1. Stephen says:

      Amen sister! I look at this as another way to stay connected to the Lord through others. I welcome seeing other people pray publicly and support one another!

  6. searching says:

    JRAY –
    This is Searching from SRT and while 265 comments seems like a lot, I have seen as few as a handful (less than 10) and upwards to the 900’s. I read every comment and keep a list of requests to pray for each day which cover everything from failing relationships to overseas mission trips to personal testimonies and everything in between. I cannot remember anything I’ve read on SRT that smacked of addiction to replies or social media chaos. Praying HRT readers find a connection to others to support and lift up the menfolk here in ways that a local church cannot.

  7. Jray says:

    Truth seeker
    Where did I say anything about gossiping? I just said this should be a place to talk about the devotional and scriptures. I just don’t think people we have never met can help carry each other’s burdens like the community of believers we worship with. This is one reason why we are commanded to not forsake the gathering together. No online forum can replace local community of believers and I just think we should not ever try to replace that. I don’t read the comments on shereadstruth but my wife does shereadstruth daily and says she doesn’t read comments anymore because it’s not even about the daily study. She leads a bible study on shereadstruth locally with women from the community and I think that is a better forum for carrying each others burdens and the comments here would be better focused on the scripture and devotional. Just my opinions, but I do believe they are based on the truth of scriptures.

  8. Katie D says:

    JRAY, SRT day one is now 414 comments…
    I took your comment as concern not criticism and although a ‘she’ wanted to respond. There is a mix of prayers requests and responses to scripture/devotions.

    Understandably, I am overwhelmed by the number of comments but the start of new studies is more of a touch point welcoming newcomers and long time followers on SRT. (The volume normally calms down into the study.) While it is exciting to see so many opening their bibles and being moved to share, on days with large number of comments, each person determines the level and time they are able or willing to commit. After reading the scriptures and devotional, depending on the number of responses, I will read them or skim for contributors I know provided additional insights to the scripture readings.

    The message to find a local church or group of believers is stated frequently. The prayers shared are vulnerabilities and needs for support that maybe hard to share in a close community but are from those in real need of prayer. There are some fantastic prayer warriors so to speak that I love having for support as needed. It is never a one upping like social media.

    1. Jray says:

      Katie, I agree with what you said on all accounts. I guess my point of social media was just that some people just share a little to much when there’s no real connection to reality. Possibly trying to fill a need to be heard because of some need at home but I just think an online form probably will not fill this need but still leave us empty. As a man I don’t think I completely understand this desire like a woman but I just have seen it grow into an unhealthy obsession in our culture and don’t want the for SRT or HRT. I also think our culture has grown very soft and there is too much whining and this has seeped into the church and we are called to do all things without grumbling or complaining. That said we are also called to carry each others burdens.

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