The Road to Bethlehem – With Us

Merry Christmas Dear Reader,

As we journey toward Bethlehem I wonder if we realize what we seek.  So many noble deeds and unspeakable horrors have been visited upon humans in the name of seeking God.  When I ponder the things that we do to find or avoid God it astounds me. 

We make it more complex.  We use it for our own purposes.  We deny God’s existence.  We acknowledge him and still defy him.   We sacrifice to find and serve him.  We either embrace or ignore the natural revelation we are given.

John Glenn, who passed away yesterday day, saw it this way: “To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith.”

Those of us who believe want him to be with us.  We want to believe and then find our faith realized.  We want hope to be fulfilled.  This is the way of the song I ponder today.  We mourn in exile until he appears again.  We watch the world spin toward more darkness whilst we yearning for the Light.  

Then I ponder the things the Son said when he was with us:

“I am come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

“The poor you will have with you always.  I will not always be here.”

“I would have gathered you like a mother hen gathers her chicks.”

“And I, when I am lifted up will draw all men unto myself.”

“I AM he.”

“But I am always with you, even to the end of the age.”

Emmanuel, literally “God with us”, has come.  He has ransomed us.  He has given us a reason to journey home.  He promised to return.  We journey to Bethlehem to get to the cross, to get to the ransom, to get to the resurrection, to get to the return.   It is in that constant flow that we travel.  The cross becomes the fulcrum in the void that lifts the God that is with us to the height necessary to draw us to him.

We celebrate the Advent of our reclamation and journey toward the fulfillment of it.  The promise of Christmas is strong and we must still seek the fulfillment of that promise.  So come Emmanuel to collect the result of your ransom.  We still languish in exile waiting for you to make all things good. 

O Come O Come Emmanuel – Pentatonix

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 Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, 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.”

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