The Ache of Advent

and how we can receive

(Prayer room hours for this week are here! The building has limited open hours this week, so be sure to check the schedule before coming in. Join us for a special Advent Sunrise Prayer on Wednesday, December 24th, from 7-8 AM!)

Photo by Raimond Clavins

Winn Collier mapped it well: “Advent is ache and silence…for the helpless, the heartbroken, the world-weary. It’s for those who have no words, no capacity to name how sorrow or regret or evil have shattered their lives. In Advent, we face what’s terrifying, crushing, and harsh, owning how helpless we are to concoct any remedy.”

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Death of loved ones. Death of strangers. Death of those beloved by beloveds. Deaths from the past felt more sharply in these December moments, even as the carolers sing (and we sing too, and mean it) “Have yourself a merry little Christmas…”

All of these have marked our Advent.

In addition, challenges have come at every turn, in multiple arenas of life—infirmities, financial strain, things breaking down, heartbreak, conundrums, so many friends going through hard trials, exhaustion, loss, prophetic disillusionment, spending yourself without human assurance of any of it mattering (oh, but it does). Spending yourself when it feels like nothing is happening (oh, but everything is).

I take great comfort in the honesty of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8 when he shares, "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life."

Have you ever felt this?

You’re not alone. The Apostle Paul and his ministry companions felt this, too. And while perhaps we can’t relate to the particulars of the trauma they endured, there are traumas of modern life that we were not designed to endure day in and day out.

I’ll be honest, as I’ve taken a “fearless inventory of the darkness”¹ in the world (without and within) in recent days, I’ve longed for Home more than once.

But then again, shouldn’t I always be longing for our true Home? Isn’t that what Advent is about? Might there be something off if I’m so comfortable and insulated here that I struggle to deeply understand Paul’s conviction when he said, “to die is gain”?

All this relentless hardship, and yet…

Hope. Joy. Peace. Love. Alive and well and available. To be found in the here and now. Because we have Him. God with us. To live is Christ! And though I can long for Home, may I “live and declare the works of the Lord” with eyes wide open to all He has made available for me in the wonderful right now of the not-yet.

The precious Holy Spirit, knowing we would need help, generously wove the recipe for accessing it all right into the living Word. Don’t skim over this. Ask for fresh eyes and then read these verses slowly. Do it more than once.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, ESV, excerpts)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NIV)

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4, ESV)

Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love. I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. (John 15: 9-13, The Message)

I don’t want to dismiss the incredibly complex layers of sorrow on this broken earth. The reality is that our journeys to receive these gifts of hope, joy, peace, and love are not easy, no matter how simple the “recipe” may be. And there’s so much more I’d love to go into, like the importance of naming your grief like David, or of not flinching from, ignoring, or rushing the darkness, and of wrestling it all out with God like Jacob. And ultimately, renewing your mind with Truth until it takes you on a hot-air-balloon ride in the spirit so you can really see and be transformed.²

But, I can tell you from experience, while we can’t earn the gift of Immanuel (God with us), our posture does position us to receive all the benefits He came to bring.

Rejoicing. Praying. Giving thanks. Thinking about what is good. Trusting. Looking for the treasures in the trials. Pouring out our lives in love.

These things really are the distilled recipe for hope, joy, peace, and love in the midst of the heartbreak. (Love—both an ingredient and a result!)

He is good. He is with us. He makes all things new. And He will make all things right. Our Home is not yet, AND our Home is now. Because He came and He is coming again.

Soon.

1. “Advent bids us take a fearless inventory of the darkness: the darkness without and the darkness within.” - Fleming Rutledge, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ

2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.” Romans 12:2.

***Also, for a simple breakdown on lament (and its importance), read this article. For more on the importance of wrestling with God, read this article.