(I wrote this while listening - over and over.)
The Piano Guys "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
A sadness permeates me this advent. I know the reasons – life…sin. But the ache
begins to resemble a longing. And the
cello in The Piano Guys “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” cries my longing.
Yes, this is a season of joy. But waiting for the coming of Christmas, of
the coming of Christ, is also a longing time.
2000 years ago they waited for freedom from captivity. We are not so different, only our captivity
is different. They longed to be free, we
long to be free, and so we should.
The kingdom is here and not yet. Paradox.
Christ came and brought freedom to captives. The freedom He offered in the flesh 2000
years ago was not what people expected.
Similarly the freedom He offers today is frequently not what we expect
or what we plead for. We live in a world
of sin and suffering, with an enemy that seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
For the first time, my observance of advent is more focused
on the longing than any of the trappings of Christmas. We will decorate. We will celebrate. But the joy and sorrow of this year, the
changes, the stumblings, the growth, are all tangled together leaving me
overflowing with paradoxical emotions.
Come, Lord Jesus is a cry and a comfort. I begin to understand that I’m waiting, not
just during advent, but I’m waiting for much longer and for much more than the coming
of Christmas. For Christ’s return. For a
new world. For complete freedom.
I rejoice that I’m finally grasping part of the bigger
picture. I shouldn’t be too comfortable
here because this is not my home. As I
live and work and love and laugh and weep and struggle I SHOULD be
longing. For the first time I don’t just
sing the words, but I FEEL the words.
Come, please come, Emmanuel. God
with us.
