Advent – A Week of Sundays – Waiting for the Shepherd

Greetings Dear Reader,

The Advent Hymn, Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel is so somber.  It is in a minor key and has a haunting in melody.  The hymn has been recorded by so many beautiful voices.  The link above is Enya’s recording and the one below is done by Barlow Girl.  It does capture the longing I feel for the Shepherd to return and bring us all home.  I imagine the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks through the night.  They knew they were waiting for the advent of the Messiah.  They knew that the entire system of the Law of Mosses served to remind them of God’s desire to with them.

Luke 2:9-18

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

I have worked in a job where the night watch is required.  It is lonely and cold no matter what the weather.  Like those shepherds I keep watch.  I long for the Good Shepherd to come and make all things right.  Christmas is so much more than the birth of Christ to me.  It is the place where I remember what I am truly longing for in Christ.

It is possible to mourn and rejoice at the same time.  I think that waiting for the Shepherd captures this so purely for me.  I weep and laugh all at once because of my longing and hope.  God will come and will be with us.  Until he does I mourn the pain and loss in our fallen world.  I love those who need Christ and love those who do not see him as he is.  I mourn my own sin and failures.  I mourn the loss for those who have tasted faith and walked away from it.  I mourn the need, pain, and suffering that exists in our world.  In the midst of that mourning I also have hope.  I long for that hope to become reality.

I long for the time when all of us are at the clearing and the Good Shepherd has all things under his rod and staff.  I long for the completion of our ransom and the time when our exile is over.  I long for the binding of all hearts to Christ.  I long for the death of death.  The first week of Advent puts me in mind of all of this and I renew my longing for the reclamation of all things. 

Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel – Performed by Barlow Girl

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,

Who ordered all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,

Who to your tribes on Sinai's height

In ancient times gave holy law,

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,

From ev'ry foe deliver them

That trust your mighty pow'r to save;

Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,

And open wide our heav'nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,

And cheer us by your drawing nigh,

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,

And be yourself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."