O Come O Come Emmanuel piano/cello (Beautiful.  Play it.)

Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

Why are the strains of this hymn always slow and haunting?

It sounds beautiful, even meaningful, in a Christmas carol, but is it really?  

Emmanuel.  God with us.

Israel.  Wrestles with God.

God is with the wrestler.

This phrase has become a cornerstone of freedom for me.

Surprisingly, the name Emmanuel is only mentioned a couple of times in the Bible.  In Isaiah, in the midst of war, terror and oppression, God is there.  He is with them.  In the midst of his seeming absence, they are given another name for this mysterious presence of God.

Emmanuel.

Instead of the ways and thoughts of this world, God reminds them of his withness. (For an incredible take on this passage and Emmanuel, check out this post by Kelley.)

What does it mean for him to be ‘there’,  to be with us.  What does it mean for us to be with God?

In the Bible, God’s withness – his presence – is a mysterious reality.

We want to name and define, but nothing can contain it, our metaphors grasping only a glimpse.

Bread.

A tent.

Blood.

Salt.

Cloud.

Fire.

Long hair.

Ravens.

Whisper.

Baby.

Spirit.

Omnipresence is the best we can do now.

Observe and contemplate.

The cosmos and our little earth.

Observing, we affirm the worth

Of sun and stars and light unfurled.

So, let us, seeing, celebrate

The glory of Love’s incarnate birth

And sing its joy to all the world.

-Madeline L’Engle

Observation and contemplation, metaphor and mystery, the incarnational drama of history has been reduced to an intellectual, theological term.  And when people say they feel apart from God, that they don’t sense his Presence, the churchy answer is just more intellect.

Read your Bible.  Pray.  Rinse and Repeat.  Forever.

But is that the only place Presence is found?  Either we believe the whole earth is filled with his glory, or it isn’t.

Either we believe the images given us in the Bible are authentic representations of withness or we don’t.

And if we do, then why don’t we act on it?  Why do we reduce the Presence of  God to quiet time?  Why do we act like the incarnation was only for Christmas?

….God made the rock and you and me, and is concerned with Creation, every galaxy, every atom and subatomic particle.  Matter matters.

This is the promise of the Incarnation.  Christ put on human matter, and what happens to us is of eternal, cosmic importance.  That is what true story affirms. – Madeline L’Engle

Knowing that God is everywhere, that he can be found in every situation should inspire us to come and see, not go and read.

How can we see Him in our mess?

When you are up to your neck in battles, how is He there?

But remember; when you try to observe Him – it might require hard wrestling.  It’s work to find glimpses of God in the muck.  It’s painful to find the image, the metaphor, the incarnation, in the frustrations of our world.  Reading a few chapters in the Bible won’t always cut it.

When you are trying to find the Presence of God, and there is no tent to go to, no cloud or fire appearing, what do you do?

Maybe you need to figure out how you best experience God.

 

Maybe you’ll need to walk through the dark night of the soul.

Maybe you just need to practice being aware of his presence.

Maybe you need a poem.

Maybe you need stories of hope.

Maybe you need to see the withness of God in others.

Maybe you need to tell someone else about Him.

Maybe you need to be still and know.

Maybe you need to have some bread. Maybe you need to serve some.

Maybe you need to light a candle, or walk in the woods.

Maybe you need some music.

Or a good book.

A painting.

A party with friends.

A good sermon, some prayer, even Bible study.

Maybe you need to wrestle.

Maybe you need to simply sit with the miracle that is Emmanuel.

Whatever it is.

However you best experience God, He is there in the midst.

Discovering the presence of God isn’t confined to reading your Bible and praying.  The presence of God is as varied as our personalities.  God permeates our world, if we just have the eyes to see it.

The incarnation is affirmation.  He came to be with us in our world.  In our struggle.  In our pain.  In our fear.

He came to Be. With. Us.

With us.

You.

Me.

What makes us human, what makes us an image-bearer, what makes us unique, was affirmed at Christmas.

The divine incarnated into humanity.

Emmanuel.

God with us.

Rejoice.

In the mystery of the Word made Flesh

the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane

to raise our songs with joyful voice,

for to share our grief, to touch our pain,

He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

-Madeline L’Engle

 

Join our Advent synchroblog – this week we’re talking about Love

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Check out the Spotify playlists Emily created: 

Hope

Love

 

My Christmas hymns playlist