Advent Expectations

I grew up in a suburban Southern Baptist home where we celebrated Christmas like most other evangelicals; you indulged in all the craziness of shopping and tinsel and Santa, but you went to church on Christmas Eve and reminded yourself that this was really all about Jesus. We never observed Advent. I didn't even know what it was until I was grown up. This is the first year that my family and I took the time to observe Advent. At the prompting of our lead pastor, Steve Whipple, We bought an amazing book by a Messianic Jewish writer Arnold Ytreeide called Jotham's Journey. It is an exciting and well-written adventure of a small boy who becomes separated from his family and winds up in Bethlehem the night of Jesus' birth. It has been a wonderful experience and I highly recommend Ytreeide's books.

Advent is all about expectation. It's the preparing oneself for the arrival of Jesus. When Jesus shows up, everything changes! It's not only about the arrival of Jesus' birth, but for Christians, it's also the looking forward to His second coming. But there is another aspect of advent I discovered.

While looking for music for our Christmas Eve services at Church at the Ridge, I discovered an Advent hymn by Charles Wesley, "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus." The version I heard was by the musicians at Red Mountain Church in Birmingham, AL. I was captivated by the beautiful melody and the hopeful, longing spirit of the song. Needless to say you will be hearing it this Friday night!

My thought was this: We expect too little of Christmas, because if we're being honest we expect too little of Christ. Deliverer? Redeemer? Shepherd? Savior? Healer? We sing these things but we don't really expect Him to come through for us. Christmas Eve we will see our largest crowd of the year at Church at the Ridge. I can't help but think there will be people, some of them our regular folks, who will sit and sing and go through the motions but not really expect "God with us." They long for Him, without even realizing that it's Him they long for. Their heart cries, "Come, Thous long-expected Jesus! I've been waiting for you all my life!" My prayer is that they will experience the presence of God made flesh this Christmas Eve.

Read the words to this hymn and make them your prayer this Advent season. I ask our people to pray these words over our service on Christmas Eve.:

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see Thee
Day spring from on high appear
Come, Thou promised rod of Jesse,
Of Thy birth we long to hear
O’er the hills the angels singing news,
Glad tidings of a birth,
“Go to Him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”

Come to earth to taste our sadness
He whose glories knew no end;
By His life He brings us gladness,
Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number,
Born within a cattle stall;
This the everlasting wonder,
Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Words by Charles Wesley, additional verses by Mark Hunt
Music by Rowland Pritchard