Peace in Suffering: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Have you ever had a longing or craving for something? Maybe some favorite food like Cincinnati chili or smoked pulled pork.  Perhaps the longing that comes to your mind is one that is a little more endearing, like a cruise down the Rhine or to be with family and grandkids. For some, it might be a longing for healing and restoration.

Hopefully, for all of us reading this, we echo a longing of Paul where he states, “that I may know Christ and the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

Advent is a season of longing, a season of waiting with expectant hearts and minds. The hymn “O come, O come Emmanuel” expresses this longing, a plea for deliverance: “and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear” and “come…unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.”

Oh, but Advent is more than a season of longing for deliverance to come. The hymn also proclaims “Rejoice, Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel!”  Longing with joy. Craving with hope. Suffering with peace.

Today, Christ is reigning in the hearts and lives of those of us who have experienced and continue to experience His love, forgiveness, and sanctifying power. We rejoice in what Christ has done and is doing, yet we also rejoice knowing that Christ is coming again and will bring full deliverance, justice, righteousness, and peace. In this, we also rejoice.

Longing with rejoicing. A mixed bag of emotions. Yet so real!

In this Advent season ask yourself: Am I really longing for Christ’s return? Am I longing for the message of Christ’s first coming and the hope He brought to saturate the whole world so that all hear in an understanding way? Am I rejoicing with expectant hope of a new heaven and a new earth?

May God through His Spirit stir up in our hearts and minds this advent season a renewed and fresh longing with rejoicing for Christ’s message proclaimed (Matt 24:14), for justice and righteousness to reign (Ps. 89:14), and for the renewal of all things at His second coming (Matt 19:28; Rev. 21).

“O come, O come Emmanuel” is our longing. “Rejoice, Rejoice” is our song of jubilation. A mixed bag of precious gems!

Written by Jarvis Crosby, Professor Emeritus Cross-cultural Studies & TESOL