Advent - waiting for what is to come

This evening I am leading an Advent hymn study on "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", a traditional carol that has been a part of Christian hymnody since the 9th century. Last week we studied "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" written some 250 years ago by Charles Wesley. It's no mistake that these two hymns begin with the word 'come' because Advent means "to come". Most Advent hymns revolve around the theme of waiting and preparing and being expectant about what is coming. Christmas is coming. It isn't here yet. I hate to break it to you folks, but regardless of what the merchandisers tell you and the cacophony of Christmas carols and songs on the radio, Christmas has not come yet. But it will be here soon - it's just not now - it's still coming!

And what is coming is so good, we can't wait for it to begin to celebrate. We allow ourselves to start to celebrate a little early. I don't think that is entirely a bad thing either. After all, is it really possible to contain all the joy and love that Christmas represents in a 12 day festival? The other evening, I watched "A Christmas Carol" with my sister-in-law Lorraine and was intrigued by the use of the word 'come' in the Christmas morning scene when Scrooge had learned his lesson about celebrating and keeping Christmas. In the Disney movie, the carolers are singing "Joy to the world, the Lord is come" because it is finally Christmas. The waiting is over, the celebrations begin, the earth rejoices, and on that first day of Christmas our true love gives us a partridge in a pear tree.

But for now it's still Advent. Time to wait for what is coming. Time to prepare. Two more Sundays to light the Advent wreath. Today is December 5th and that almost 20 more days of opening little cardboard doors on daily Advent calendars to see what is behind them. Almost twenty more days of pinning little ornaments to the daily Advent calendar. Almost three more weeks of waiting for what is to come. And no one ever said waiting was easy - especially when we are excited about what is coming.

Waiting for Christmas each year is hard. It's hard on kids excited to see what gifts Santa is going to put under the tree. It's hard on adults wondering if the expectations for the holiday will be met. It's especially hard on those of us who have lost a loved one when we realize that this year we won't be celebrating with someone we've loved deeply and we suddenly miss that person with agonizing acuteness that threatens to deaden the whole holiday. But Advent calls us to wait for what is coming. But it doesn't ask us to wait passively; it calls us to wait expectantly. Appropriately, each stanza of today's hymn captures the excruciating labor of waiting for extraordinarily wondrous Emmanuel - the 'God who is with us' - that is still to come.

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.

O Come, thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go.

O Come, O Come, great Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe

O Come thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of the people be;
before thee rulers silent fall; all peoples on they mercy call.

O Come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free, and conquer death’s deep misery.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thy justice here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Desire of nations bind all peoples in one heard and mind.
From dust thou brought us forth to life; deliver us from earthly strife.