Waiting

This is the first week of Advent.

We have advent calendars for the kids that help us focus.  It sort of puts each day in perspective, when you think about the longing for the Savior instead of How Many Shopping Days Are Left.  (Bleah!)

I encourage you to make an Advent wreath for your table and try to do the Sundays, at least.  This week is Waiting; you might try singing or playing "O Come O Come Emmanuel".  The words have been playing in my head all week.

O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Will come to thee, O Israel

There's a scene in The Voyage of the Dawntreader (book, I dunno about the movie yet) where part of the crew of the Dawntreader is taken captive and sold as slaves on an island that has, for all intents and purposes, forgotten that it's under Narnian rule.  One by one Caspian, Lucy, and Edmund are bought, but Eustace isn't.  As Lewis points out, it's not fun to realize, even in a slave market, that nobody wants to buy you.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory over the grave
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Will come to thee, O Israel

One of the saddest parts in the movie The Fiddler on the Roof is when they are moved out of their village, and the tailor says, "We've been waiting for Messiah so long--wouldn't it be wonderful if He came today?"

Doesn't that make your heart ache?  At the same time, do we long for His second coming as much as the people in darkness still long for His first, not realizing that He already came?

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Thy people by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel
Will come to thee, O Israel

We have to remember that "Israel" in the song can have a dual meaning for us.  In the medieval church, when this was written, the dominant teaching unfortuantely was that God was done with the Jews--His promises to them transferred to the Church.  (This doesn't wash--God is not surprised by historical events, and His promises stand forever; I don't see why the Jews would be the one exception, especially since there are New Testament promises about them.)  So when the song says "Israel", its authors most likely meant "YOU", if you are a Christian.

We can, more Biblically, understand it with the dual meaning.  Christ the Dayspring has ransomed the Church; the Bible promises us that He's not going to leave the nation of Israel in darkness, either.  When we sing "Come Emmanuel" we are both remembering what it was like to wait in the dark, and we are asking Him to come again.

Let's not pretend that we don't live in dark days.  The world is not getting better and better.  It can be frightening to look at our surroundings and realize how different they are from the way God intended them to be.

So this week, light your first Advent candle in the dark.  Long for Messiah.  And say, with the Apostle,  "Amen!  Come Lord Jesus!"

Cheers,

Breanna