Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

It is the first Sunday of Advent and the house is quiet. I am home alone, a very rare occurrence in this phase of life. My heart longed for solitude this morning. I am on day 18 of a terrible cold and rest has not yet made it to the top of the agenda. My conscience screamed "You should join them" but I sent them off anyway, my husband and brood of three, to worship in community. Ordinarily, I would be with them. Today I needed to rest. It was as if I heard the voice of Christ whispering "Cease. I will meet with you here." So here I sit, worshiping as an audience of one. 

Frost laces the barren branches of the trees out my window, each tiny shoot encapsulated in cold. I can hear the clock ticking. This is a season of great waiting. Of anticipation. It is Advent: a time where we anticipate the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. We wait in silent expectation, for the coming of our Savior King. Usually Christmas comes and goes before I have a chance to truly ponder this and what it means for me. 

My kids have the most immense appetites for knowledge, and their questions never cease. Yesterday, we unpacked our nativity set, and I began to teach my two year old of the birth of the baby Jesus, acting out the story with the figurines. Though his obsession with the donkey seemed to overshadow everything else, I can sense the main character of the story is apparent to him. In this day and age where Santa and elves and toys and everything else seems to be the primary focus, how can we keep Christ at the center? I long for my kiddos to know the truth and to know it intimately. To hear the awe-inspiring story of the virgin birth, and to know with every ounce of their being that this coming of Jesus was for THEM. For all of us. 

It's hard to imagine that, in a world of millions, our very names were on His mind when He came to earth as our Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." What an amazing reason to celebrate - that through Christ's coming to earth as a baby and His subsequent death on the cross for us, we could be forgiven and seen as blameless in His eyes. May we all take a moment this season to cease and ponder this amazing gift.

Happy Advent to all!