O Come, O Come Emmanuel

This Christmas, I have done a lot of reflecting on what it means to "prepare" for Christmas. This year, as a new family of three, we shared old traditions, started new ones, and strived to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of His coming.

On Christmas evening, I actually went to bed asking myself this question, "Can I even begin to imagine what it was like 2,000 years ago as they painfully awaited, longed for, and dreamed of the coming of a Messiah whom they had heard would change the world and rescue them?"

In the words of the song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, it speaks and gives us a small glimpse of the yearning they must have felt...

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears

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

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.

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.

This New Year's Eve, I spent the day in the emergency room with my mom. After having some severe abdominal pain for many hours, she made the decision to go to the emergency room. She had never had to go in her 56 years of life. Since my dad was working, I took her. If you have ever been to the ER, you know the hours that are spent waiting, wondering, and praying. It was a holiday weekend which meant a packed ER. Once she got admitted to a room, she layed in a bed for 7 hours until they finally relieved her pain completely and diagnosed her. I hate waiting. Moreover, I hated seeing my sweet, precious mother in agony and pain with no relief, answer, or hope in sight. We needed Emmanuel to come. Every so often I would go out into the hallway and up to the nurse's station and give them a glare with my eyes that let them know that I was checking in on them and reminding them that my mom was hurting and in need of attention and help. Does that not sound like me? Well, it wasn't. I am not normally that bold, but I was desperate! Whenever I would hear a sound that even resembled a knock at the door I would look up in hopes that the nurse or doctor was finally making an appearance. In retrospect, I do not think in my 27 years of life I have ever been as anxious in waiting on something and someone as I was sitting in that room praying, begging, and waiting on hope and help that day. Around seven o'clock when the doctor's finally gave her something that eliminated the pain and revealed to us that the results of the abdominal x-rays were normal, a relief washed over me like I had not known. Mom would be okay...we had an answer...she was saved from pain and potential serious problems.

Ahh, was this a small glimpse of what it's like to wait on our Savior? Maybe. In my heart I think so. Although I hope I never ever see my mom in that pain again, it did serve a purpose in helping me to realize just how much we are in need of a Savior and how the pain of not having a solution brings agony and distress. It also challenged me that I might see our world with eyes wide open this year...to recognize the pain and death many live with in a world where they have no hope of heaven and a Savior, and that I might have the boldness to bring them an answer...the only answer...Jesus.