Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

I am in an Advent state of mind. I'm in a season of waiting, a season of longing, a season of wondering when Jesus will show up. One of my most loved Christmas songs has always been "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and I have been resonating with it these past weeks.

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

I feel alone as I mourn my old faith - a faith that was more certain, more well-defined, more at home in the church. I feel captive to my uncertainty as I wait on my new faith to take shape and grow roots. I have been waiting for Jesus and looking for him, fearing that he might never appear in the ways he used to.

At the entrance to my work, there is an agency sign sheltered by a tall peaked wooden structure. To decorate for Christmas, a large star was placed on top of the shelter, making it reminiscent of a manger. Over the past month, I have been mindful of this symbol every morning when I drive into work - pointing me to where Jesus can be found. The God of the broken-hearted is with the struggling kids I work with. When I join with them, I find Jesus.

In places and situations that cause me to wonder where God is, I am privileged to be able to make him apparent as I bring my own compassion, humour and help. I've found that God feels nearer when I am thankful. I have many things to be thankful for.

My hope for myself and for you is that this will be a season in which we can hold the tension between longing and expectant rejoicing. A season in which we can hope for something greater, take delight in the good in our lives, and bring blessing to the lives of others.

re⋅joice

1. to be glad; take delight (often fol. by in): to rejoice in another's
happiness.
2. to make joyful; gladden: a song to rejoice the heart.

2 comments:

Aimee said...

thanks jamie.
i have been praying o come o come emmanuel these days too. and waiting. one day while singing i noticed that the 'rejoice' in the chorus was not about the fact that emmanuel had arrived, as in, we can rejoice because he's here, but was actually about the waiting time. rejoice israel, emmanuel WILL come. i really liked that. rejoicing in the waiting. in the hoping.
thanks again for your words. even though advent's over i feel like i'm still there and reading your post on boxing day was good timing.

Jena said...

I just got home and am able to catch up on some blogs.
As per this entry:
I just want to say a very strong Thank you and Amen.

Merry Christmas Jamie.

Love, your friend and sister.

 
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