Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)
Song: O Come, O Come Emmanuel (lyrics here)
Reflection
The return of Christ figures prominently in this week’s Advent texts, calling us to be mindful of the truth that we, like the ancient Hebrews of old, are people who wait. We are people of the “now and not yet.”
Our “now” is infused with the reality of Christ’s presence: we live in the glorious light of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Because of his first coming we are people who know the truth of God’s mercy and presence in ways the ancient Hebrew people could only imagine.
Our “not yet” is reflective of the truth that the final culmination of Christ’s work has yet to happen. As we look around our world we are painfully aware of this reality. While the path to God has been illuminated by what Jesus accomplished when he first visited this planet, there are still many forces that seek to dim that light and obscure the path.
We are still waiting.
Perhaps no Christmas hymn has captured this tension of “now and not yet” as well as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” In one of the oldest Advent texts we have, the author captures powerfully the longing of Israel and of our own hearts, pleading on behalf of all those who “mourn in lonely exile.” The author also reminds us of the many ways we have come to know the child born that first Christmas morn, the one whose birth marked our beginning of exodus from that exile:
He is Emmanuel…God with us
He is the Dayspring…the dawn of new life
He is the Key of David…who unlocks the gate to eternal life
So we sit with the truth that God is with us, and that he has granted us new life. We also look to the day when that life will be experienced in all of its fullness, when a day will spring forth that will have no end, for as John tells us:
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” (Rev. 21:24-25, NIV)
Until that day comes, let’s join our voices with all who have cried out in anticipation: O come, o come Emmanuel!
What does it mean for you to live in the tension between the “now” and the “not yet?” What practices and disciplines help you to stay balanced in that tension? How does looking forward to Christ’s eventual return stir hope in your soul? Spend some time in prayer pouring out before God the parts of our world you are eager to see transformed in the light of his kingdom, and ask him to speak hope to you where you need it most.