itsawonderfilledlife

Do you cry?

Does the heaviness of life, of the dark, weigh on your heart and soul?

Have you ever cried out to God?

The Christmas Carol, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, says :

“Israel that mourns in lonely exile here”

And, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, starts with these words,

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay

Dismay? What does dismay have to do with the Christmas season?

Well, actually,

Tears
Sorrow
Dismay

These are part of the reason why Jesus came to be with us … a very big part. The coming of the Messiah was planned when sin entered our world, entered into us. When sin entered the world, so did tears, sorrow, dismay. Jesus came to save us from our sins, but he also came to be the embodiment of God … he is the full package and his coming paved the way for us to never, ever be alone in our tears, our sorrow, our dismay.

 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

God,

We … I … need you.

As I bow my head, my heart is heavy, my eyes are brimming with tears, my mind struggles to focus on being in your presence. God … Father, hear the cries of my heart.

You, and only you can hear what is unspoken. I know that you are sovereign, that you are in control of everything. I give you my heartaches, my struggles, my sorrows …

and I ask that you don’t let me take them back.

Thank you that advent reminds us of how you send hope into our sadness.

I am counting the days …

Day 1.