O Root of Jesse, You stand as a signal for the people; before You, Kings shall fall silent and to You, the nations shall make their prayer: Come to deliver us, and do not delay! ~ from the Antiphons of Advent
Today is the first Sunday in the Advent season.
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| Advent photo, Cheryle Kupsch Photography |
Advent is derived from the Latin word, adventus, which means ‘coming.’
It’s a time of eager anticipation as we not only prepare for the
celebration of Christ’s birth, but as we prepare for His Second coming as well.
Right now, preparation of any kind seems like a daunting task for me, as
lately I have felt like one huge walking, talking, cluttered mess. So many needless, foolish, dark and broken
things are piled high and packed full into the storage rooms of my heart, mind
and spirit. Wretched and useless things I'd much rather keep hidden away and avoid, but nonetheless, things that need to be purged and cleansed. I NEED to make room for Jesus.
I so
want these next several weeks before Christmas -- which are often extremely hectic weeks -- to be a time of sweet, holy joy and peaceful, purposeful contemplation
on the things in this life that matter: of God-with-us, of family near and far,
of friends and strangers in need, of making the fruits of the Spirit available
to whomever I meet.
As a people-pleasing, ‘everything-has-to-be-perfect’ kind
of gal, I feel somewhat overwhelmed by this. Like some lone, inexperienced maid,
asked to clean a castle from top to bottom in a mere few days to prepare for
the coming of a very special, extraordinary King.
And yet -- I must remember that, although Jesus is a King, He humbled
Himself and came to this earth in human form, a small, helpless Infant born into the lowliest of circumstances: in an ordinary stable among cows, sheep, goats and donkeys; drawn out of the birth canal and held first in the rough-hewn hands of His earthly father, an ordinary carpenter; wrapped in
rags by His young, exhausted, not-yet-wed mother, an ordinary village girl; placed reverently and lovingly onto the smelly, and no doubt dirty, straw in
an ordinary feeding trough for the barn animals.
Our Hope -- surrounded by and swaddled in humility.
The condition of my heart, spirit and mind….no, they’re certainly
not perfect. But this Christ, this King – He is not looking for House Beautiful
here, ready to perform the white glove test on me. And thankfully not, for I would surely
fail!! No, I believe He is seeking only to be able to daily enter into my
welcoming, humble heart; longing to heal my continually broken and contrite spirit, desiring to consistently guard my mind, always in need of renewal, with God’s peace.
This year, in my search for a song to use that would not only suffice as a song of worship, but a song that would well represent the beginning of the Advent season, as well as my own, personal Advent journey, I came across a site that listed this song, 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,' as one which was used in someone's church during the Advent season. I thought to myself, 'Really? THIS song?' It didn't really strike me as 'adventy' or even 'Christmasy' (and are these even real words I'm using here?).
And yet, upon listening to it after being given a holy 'nudge' to write this post, I think it's a 'perfect fit.'
May this song inspire, comfort and encourage you, dear one, as you perhaps begin your own Advent journey today......
And then Isaiah says: 'There shall be a root of Jesse; and He Who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.' May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.' ~ Romans 15:12-13, (J.B. Phillips New Testament)
