Living Between Advents… O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

“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, O Come, Emmanuel,” isn’t the most upbeat, cheerful song of the Christmas season. Its haunting melody reminds us of the first advent and the birth of our Messiah.

It’s also a reminder of the Second Advent, that is yet to come.

Yes, our Savior is coming back, but this time instead of being born quietly and humbly in a stable, He will make a thunderous entrance, making it known to all that He has arrived!

Finding Comfort and Peace During the Christmas Season

Christmas is a time of joy and happiness. Our homes should be brightly decorated, and the aroma of baked goodies should fill the air. Presents are neatly wrapped under the tree, and everyone is getting along well together – just like a Norman Rockwell painting.

I will be honest with you; my house doesn’t look anything like this.

Yes, the house is decorated, but I bought cookies from the bakery. I’ve only gotten a few gifts. My children are stressed and tired. My husband has been traveling for work. And most days, I feel completely alone.

Part of that aloneness is processing the grief of losing my younger brother, Troy, on November 19th. I’m the type that shoves all my feelings deep down inside, but every now and then it sneaks out of me. It usually appears in the most inconvenient times, too, at the grocery store, school, or work. I try to quickly shove it back down inside and go about my day.

In sheer desperation, I have cried out to Jesus more in the last few weeks than I have over the course of a full year. I’ve dug deep into the Word, searching for comfort and peace.

And you know what? I found the peace that I need to get through the day.

Living Between Advents

Last week, I blogged about digging into the Gospel of Luke and reading a chapter a day leading up to Christmas. This has been so therapeutic for me! As I study the life of Christ, I realize that even though their Messiah is standing right in front of them, they were spiritually blind.

Much like the world is today.

Christ will be coming back. Just as the prophecy of His birth, death, and resurrection came to fruition, so will Christ’s return.

Throughout the Gospels, Christ spoke of His return.  Here are a few verses that have caught my attention:

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:42-44

“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:26-28

When that time comes for the Second Advent, we will find peace from this chaotic world.

No more suffering. No more tears. No more pain.

Only Jesus.

And that is something to celebrate!

Praise the Lord!

Hills and Valleys

This season of life is just a momentary affliction. I’m in a valley, but I feel the Lord working in me every day.

He’s my strength, and I’m leaning on Him more every day.

If you aren’t feeling festive this holiday season, you are not alone. But take heart, Jesus is there for you and me. He came into this world so we could have eternal life with Him.

Embrace the Word and cling to Jesus.

He is waiting with open arms!