Christ Comes, Sees, and Conquers
At the start of Advent, our pastor preached about Christ’s three comings: He came at Christmas, He comes now in our daily lives, and He will come again at the end of time. As I sat there listening, the famous Roman saying popped into my head—Veni, Vidi, Vici—”I came, I saw, I conquered.” Julius Caesar’s declaration of swift military victory.
We can reflect on these words in Advent. He comes, He sees, He conquers. Of course, not talking about Julius Caesar, but Christ.
He Comes
While Christ will one day return as the judge described in the Book of Revelation—riding a white horse, eyes like flames of fire—on Christmas He comes as a baby. The most non-threatening of all God’s creatures. As someone who just welcomed a new baby two months ago, I’ll tell you, people have no problem approaching babies. They crowd around, they lean in, they want to see. There’s something about a newborn that breaks down walls and invites us closer.
That’s exactly what Christ does at Christmas. He makes Himself approachable, accessible, someone we can draw near to without fear.
He Sees
And when we approach, He sees us. Not the version of ourselves we present to the world—the polished, put-together façade. He sees us where we actually are. He sees the brokenness we try to hide. He sees how we continue to fall into the same patterns, make the same mistakes, mess things up again and again. He sees the darkness we carry—in the world around us and, if we’re honest, in our own souls.
He Conquers
Despite everything He sees—all that brokenness, all that darkness, all those failures—He conquers it with His light. Not through force or condemnation, but through love. He desires to bring His light, His love, to our souls and to the world. He comes to fill the darkness with His presence.
That’s the heart of Advent. That’s what we’re preparing for as we light these candles each week, as December marches toward Christmas. We’re preparing to welcome the One who comes not to judge us for our mess, but to enter into it. To see us completely and love us completely. To conquer our darkness not by destroying us, but by filling us with His light.
He comes, He sees, He conquers.
Reflections by:
Mark Quaranta
Mark Quaranta’s daily reflections, formerly known as Summons, are now The Victor’s Crown. Subscribe for free at TheVictorsCrown.com. Paid subscriptions support the work and unlock premium content. Explore Mark’s prayer journals at PrayOnPaper.com.