God Cursed!

        Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior.  The first two weeks of the new quarter have been extremely busy.  Classes are going well, but they are requiring a lot of my time.  I have also been playing basketball several nights with friends besides playing intramurals.  I have been working extra hours too as the holiday season is a busy one on campus.  Today I did liturgy in church and then helped the Sunday School with practicing for their Christmas program.  Hearing them sing Christmas songs got me really excited for Christmas.  I still have two weeks left of class before I get to go home, but they will go by fast.
        My thought for the day comes from Systems class.  Dr. Okamoto put the fall of mankind in a way I had never heard it before.  He said that when Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed.  He cursed the serpent, He cursed Adam, He cursed Eve, and He cursed all of creation.  He said, "Damn it!"  God cursed all of creation.  This is the reason Dr. Okamoto loves the song "Joy to the World" so much.  In verse three it says, "He comes to make His blessings known, as far as the curse is found." He comes to make His blessings known to the entire creation.  The curse God put on creation is all from the fall.  However, God did not just curse and walk away.  He cursed creation, but then gave them the hope and promise of salvation.  He promised a King that would come and end the curse.  He sent that King in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the one who came to be King of Israel, the "true" descendants of Abraham.  He was rejected and killed, but rose again and now reigns in Heaven beside the Father.  However, He came as King to show He is the salvation that was promised in the garden.  When Jesus performs His miracles and heals people, He says, "Your faith has saved you."  He already had salvation and gave salvation before His death and resurrection.  He died because His own people rejected Him as King.  So what will salvation look like at the end?  When Jesus returns, what will His salvation be?  The same as it was during His ministry when He was here the first time.  The lame will leap, the blind will see, and all believers will hear Him say, "Your faith has saved you."  He is the King who has the salvation.  He is the King who will end the curse once and for all when He comes back.  The curse will be lost and the new creation will once again be perfect.  Now I am not trying to say Christ death and resurrection was not important, absolutely not!  However, I am saying that our King, the one who was promised and sent down from heaven to take on flesh and live a life in this world has shown us what His salvation will be on that final day when He returns again.  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord, as King.  He will not be rejected the second time, but will come to tell all believers that their faith has saved them and that they are healed of all sin, infliction, and disease.  What a wonderful day that will be!  All Praise Him who did not leave us cursed, but sent His Son to be our King and show us what His promise of salvation will look like on that final day.
Dear Heavenly Father, 
Thank You so much for sending Your Son to be our King, our Savior.  Thank You so much for not leaving us cursed, but showing us what Your salvation will look like as we wait for You promise to be reality.  Give us faithful hearts this Advent as we prepare the birth of our King, and keep us faithful always until that day when we will stand before You healed and saved by the faith You give us.  In the name of Jesus, we pray for all things. Amen.