Dear Members and Friends of Prince of Peace,
Way back in the 4th century, the bishop of Milan, Italy by the name of Ambrose penned the hymn Savior of the Nations, Come. This well known Advent hymn raises a number of questions immediately, with its first line, and that is: How is Jesus Christ, my Savior, also a Savior of nations? Is not salvation really a matter between the individual human being and God? Does salvation really have some sort of expression beyond the heart and soul? How could it be, that Jesus is the Savior of nations?
Of course in the Gospel of Matthew (ch. 2), we read of the Magi, the wise men from the east, who came to worship the baby Jesus, sometime after His birth. Their question in Jerusalem upon arrival: “Where is He, born king of the Jews?” Christians sometime later would dub these wise men as kings, referring, perhaps to Psalm 72:11 “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him,” but they need not have done so, for in Revelation Jesus is called, and rightly so, the “King of kings” (17:14), or in other words, the King over all the nations of the earth.
But that is an uncomfortable thought, isn’t it? For if Jesus is the King of kings, if Jesus is the ruler of all nations over all the earth, why are they the way they are? You would think that if Jesus were in fact, the King of kings, the Lord of the nations, that He would address the world’s ills in all its nations.
Well, Jesus does. Especially in the lives and works of those who have “listened to His voice” (John 18:37), have come to the knowledge of the truth, have believed the good news of the salvation He brings, and now living in faith, live each day in love. That love expresses itself in service to the Christian’s neighbor.
Is there more? Well, yes. When Christ returns on the Last Day, He will return as the King of kings. In other words, the kingdom of Christ, which is now that of hearts and minds and souls, a kingdom of love and service, which is not always seen by the world, will indeed become a visible reality, something which all will see and acknowledge. Those who are granted entrance into that kingdom, the kingdom of a new heaven and a new earth, will enjoy an eternal life of peace, and justice and righteousness (Is. 9:7). This will be an actual, visible kingdom. A nation which replaces all of the present nations of the world with all of their troubles, and trials, and travails.
So Jesus is the Savior of the nations. And on the Last Day, He will bring to completion His saving action by bringing to an end what is earthly, and making a reality what is heavenly.
During the season of Advent, we hope, we pray and we yearn for this to occur. We cry out to our Savior Jesus Christ, not only to come to us in our hearts, but also to come again visibly, in power and in great glory as the Savior of the nations.
Your Servant in Christ,
Pastor Strawn
