How to Suck Christmas Joy out of Everything: An Advent Story
Or why we really need Jesus to COME…
Friday night at our church Christmas party, I was reminded — by a kindred spirit — of how I used to suck the joy out of Christmas and Advent for my family…by holding on so very tightly to MY WAY of doing things…
…and how kind and patient God has been, daily, moment by moment, transforming me into the likeness of his Son, even when it has seemed that nothing is actually happening.
Here’s the story — maybe you can relate? (Please tell me you can relate!)
I LOVE Advent. I’m not honestly as crazy about the Christmas part with the gifts to buy and holiday parties to attend (classic introvert:-), but I really love me some Advent Jesse Tree.
Which is why I got a little peeved the other night at the dinner table when I asked one of the two guys (my husband and my son) to read the Advent devotional and they both responded with the enthusiasm of a snail. (I had lost my voice or I would have read it myself.)
After I encouraged them, “Don’t hate — appreciate,” my husband raised his enthusiasm to turtle level and began to read.
(Has anyone ever wanted you to feel excited when you just didn’t have the energy? Then you know how bad I was making him feel:-).
Oh, but now he left out all of the Advent activities (which of course I knew because I LOVE ADVENT!).
(Have you ever tried to do what someone asked and you still didn’t do it the way they wanted, so they still weren’t happy?)
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I was ruining everyone’s night with my demands that they enjoy the Advent devotional — MY WAY!
(Note that “everyone” was only two plus me now, which was part of the problem — I was missing my full nest (even though the other kids, had they been home, would have also easily have lost their joy by now.)
And then, into this weary, sin-worn scene, Jesus came.
My husband jokingly offered, “I can sing the song if you want.”
I smiled. But I suggested that maybe our son, who is a singer of the “choral” variety, might do it.
Being a good sport, he agreed.
“But wait!” I ran into the other room, grabbed a snowman Christmas candle, turned out all the lights in the kitchen, and lit the fat little ball of wax.
I was [kind of] joking — one of the suggested activities was to light your first candle in the advent wreath, which OF COURSE we don’t have.
But what happened is that…
CALM arrived in the room and in our hearts.
Our son began to sing.
And stillness settled.
And we saw Jesus.
The hymn for that night was “O come, O come Emmanuel.” Read it or sing it. Then…
Dare to ask Jesus to come.
He has shown up in a scene as messy as the manger, and he’ll show up in the mess of your heart right now.
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.
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