Everyone loves Christ in the cradle. The image of the baby Jesus in the barn of Bethlehem warms our hearts. Every December we relive this moment on our lawns and under our Christmas trees. Shops sell plastic donkeys and wooden mangers. People collect hand-carved images of Mary, Joseph and the newborn child.

We love Christ in the cradle.

We are well with Christ, the gentle Messiah. Children sit on his lap. Sheep gathered around him. The apostle John lies on his chest. Mary anoints his feet. No one has a problem with a nice rabbi who gives wise advice, feeds crowds, and pours wine at a wedding.

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Christ in the cradle? Wonderful. Christ, the good-hearted one? Adorable. But Christ, the coming King? On a stallion? Roaring from the sky? Crowned with the crowns of his enemies? On a mission to destroy those who destroy his children?

The world is less familiar with this view of Jesus. But this is the Jesus the world will soon see.

Did you know that the Second Coming is mentioned more than three hundred times in the Bible, on average once every twenty-five verses?

The Holy Scriptures gush like water with the news of Christ’s return. Jesus assured the depressed disciples, “I will come again” (John 14:3). When Jesus ascended, the angel said to the witnesses, “Jesus will return by the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Paul referred to “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 6:14). Peter affirmed, “The day of the Lord will come” (2 Peter 3:10). Jude proclaimed, “Behold, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His saints” (Jude 14).

The image of the baby Jesus in the barn of Bethlehem warms our hearts. (2004 Getty Images)

We are in the season of Advent. Advent takes us to the beautiful climax of Christmas, where we celebrate the incarnation of God.

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Are we ready for the hope of what is to come when Jesus, the child born in Bethlehem, returns to reign for eternity?

We are waiting, but we must be ready.

Ready for the arrival of our coming King. Ready. Wait. Vigilant. Like the soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The men and women who stand guard there show a level of unparalleled loyalty. They devote eight hours to preparing their uniforms. Gloves are worn wet to improve grip on the rifle. Shafts are attached to the inside of each shoe to allow the soldier to click on his heels.

Pastor Max Lucado and the cover of his latest book “What Happens Next” (MaxLucado.com)

The guard repeats the same walk over and over again: twenty-one steps, then a twenty-one second pause, the rifle is shifted to the other shoulder, then another twenty-one steps. He or she repeats this until he or she is relieved at the changing of the guard.

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In the summer months the soldier is on duty for thirty minutes. In winter 60 minutes. They do their job in the heat of August and the cold of January. The routine never changes, even at night when the cemetery is closed. When Hurricane Isabel passed through the area in 2003, the soldiers didn’t stop. Not once. Trees fell and the wind whipped, but they held their post.

They have maintained this vigilance every day of the year since 1921.

Remarkable.

A U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Regiment soldier, known as “The Old Guard,” walks during the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery November 5, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Question: If they can show such loyalty to unknown, dead soldiers that they rightly show, can’t we do the same for our living, coming, reigning King? If these guards are willing to patrol in honor of the victims, can’t we do more for our King who made the ultimate sacrifice? We are members of his battalion. We enlisted in his regiment. We’ll return with him one day. Can we not serve him on this day?

Let me be specific. What can you do today to honor your King? What kindness can you show? What offense can you forgive? What temptation can you resist? What gift can you offer? What discipline can you start with? What sacrifice can you make? What act of love can you show?

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Let us act like the people we were called to be, soldiers in the returning army of the King of Kings.

The Christ of the cradle is now the Christ with the crown. He’s coming soon.

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