Maranatha!

At the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, touching the stone from which Christ ascended, my heart whispers: “Maranatha; Come, Lord Jesus”, awaiting the One who ascended and will come again.

On behalf of all believers, who raise their eyes to the skies, who try to reach out to Heavens, the prophet exclaims, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down.” (Isaiah 64:1). Lord, if you broke that thickness which seems to separate us from You, then we can, at last, find the true peace, the security, the joy we need desperately!

God has already answered that prayer in Jesus Christ. On this Sunday of Advent (Kalstyan Giragi), we joyfully celebrate the opening of heavens, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Heaven touched earth in Bethlehem. Because of Christ, we are people who live under an open heaven.

But the Sunday of Advent also reminds us that the same Lord who came once in humility will come again in glory. The angels declared at the Ascension, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way” (Acts 1:11).

This is why the early Christians lived with one word on their lips: “Maranatha.” It is the earliest confession of the church. It is an aramaic word that means, “Come, O Lord.” It was first used by the St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and it appears in the next to the last sentence of the entire Bible (Revelations 22:20).

“Maranatha!” was more than wishful thinking. It was even more than a prayer.  Maranatha was a way of life. It was the framework within which the early church lived out its faith expecting, waiting and longing for the Lord’s return.

That is how we are called to live too. Not with fear, but with joy. Not with heaviness, but with expectation. Not with despair over the darkness, but with confidence that the heavens have already been opened in Christ and will open fully again in His glorious return.

So when your heart feels stretched by longing, let that longing become prayer. When the world feels uncertain, let your soul answer with hope. When you look toward heaven, do not look with emptiness, but with expectation.

And one day, the heavens will open fully. The Lord whom we await will appear, and every longing will find its home in Him.

Maranatha. Tear open the heavens, come, Lord Jesus.