Advent isn’t nostalgia. It’s the announcement that the rightful King has stepped into the world to restore everything that is broken. In our Advent series at Celebration Church, The Gift That Brings Restoration, we opened the first gift laid before Jesus: gold — the treasure reserved for a king.
The wise men from the East (the Magi) understood what the illegitimate king of Judea, Herod, feared: this baby boy, Messiah Jesus, was the rightful King of Israel. These wise men traveled far because they recognized the signs in the heavens and the promises written in the Hebrew Scriptures. Their gift of gold proclaimed what their worship affirmed: the King of Israel, the Son of David, had been born.
But Advent not only points backward — it points forward. If the King who was supposed to bring justice and peace has come, why does the world still look like it does today? Why does war rage, injustice spread, and darkness linger?
Scripture gives us the answer: the Kingdom has begun, but it has not come to its final completion. Jesus inaugurated his reign at his first coming — but he will consummate it at his return, when every nation will bow and every injustice will be overturned (Acts 3:21; Rev. 11:15).
The Magi brought gold because they recognized Jesus as King. The Advent season — and Christmas — invites us to do the same: to honor him, surrender to him, and long for his second Advent — the day he will restore all things.
How do you offer your “gold” to Jesus today? And what does it mean to live as a citizen of the Kingdom that is breaking in?
My message from last Sunday digs far deeper — into prophecy, promise, and the hope of restoration that Advent proclaims. Watch the full sermon here and discover why the Magi’s gift of gold still speaks to us today:
The message is also available in Dutch:
If you want to read the notes, here they are:
- Sermon notes in English
- Sermon notes in Dutch
Featured image by Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza on Unsplash
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