We are created to be in relationship with God, our Creator.  Creature, Creator, and Creation are all united in Spirit.  We are one with God and one with each other.  We are lonely without God.  Sin is defined as anything that separates us from God.  We are lonely in our individual sin as well as our communal sin.  Advent is God’s journey to come and find us.  Emmanuel means “God with us”.  Our Christmas Carol for today:

“O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear”. (9th century Latin translation)

The phrase that stands out for me is “mourns in lonely exile”.  The greatest human need is to love and be loved unconditionally and wholeheartedly, to be known fully.  Our hearts hold within them a deep longing for God.  The photo above is one I took of children in Africa when I was there on a mission trip.  Their faces seem to express for me how we are captives in exile longing for God to come to us.  Such is the Advent journey.  Come, Lord.  Come!

This past weekend I was preparing our home for Advent, trimming the tree and finding a special place for each nativity.  My favorite is this nativity from Africa.  There is just something about the Baby Jesus tucked in a banana leaf!

As I was carefully, thoughtfully putting each figure in place, I found myself singing this prayer in my heart…“Be near me, Lord Jesus,  I ask Thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray”.  (Away in a Manger).  The words arose out of the deep longing in my heart.  And God spoke through the prophet Isaiah…

nk

Pondering…

What do you see in the face of each child in the photo?  With which one do you relate?

What might the blue barrier represent for you?