Righteous Mediator, Come

BY Liv Dooley

I live in a city that never sleeps. It’s a city where you’ll find people playing the slots when they go to the store to grab a few snacks. It is a city where people wait for hours to take a picture in front of a welcome sign, and I bet you’ve guessed it. I live in Las Vegas. 

Las Vegas is known as a transient city, one in which people are always wandering through. Although it has become more residential in recent years, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has a grandmother who was born and raised in Las Vegas. 

The number of people experiencing homelessness is also significant here. One of the first volunteer gigs I signed up for upon moving here was to help serve at a local food pantry. I quickly learned you could offer people dignity by simply looking them in the eyes when asking about their days or offering a donut. Whether I’m waiting for a light to change on a street I’m driving down or I’m sharing food, I now always ensure I make eye contact and smile with those who stand on the corners. I may not always have something material to give, but I do have something that matters: love for my neighbor. 

Because that is what Christ has for us. 

Jesus’s plan to come to earth was motivated by His choice to look us in our eyes. In so doing, He offered something far greater than we could ever give: eternal forgiveness. Jesus, our Mediator, descended from Heaven to acquaint Himself with sin and take our shame on Himself. He fulfilled the covenant on our behalf so we could be forgiven. His choice to love us helps our hearts once again find a home in God’s presence. And the Lord’s promise that there would be a day when He would remember sins no more is fulfilled (Jeremiah 31:34). 

In Luke 22:15, Jesus told the disciples He “fervently desired” to eat the Passover with them, and the righteous Mediator continues to invite us to His table today. It is a table that has been set by the sacrifice He made on our behalf. It is where Jesus looks us in our eyes and offers a way to forgiveness. It is one where our dignity is restored and we remember we can settle because His Holy Spirit settles in our hearts.

Every Advent season is a sweet reminder that we no longer have to live apart from God because the righteous Mediator has welcomed us, once and for all, to the table He set.