ADVENT: Jesus, We Wait for You!

Nearly three full weeks into Advent and Christmas is just around the corner! These weeks in which we JOYfully await the incarnation of Christ; that is, the son of God become man, in order to bring about our salvation.

This year, aware of Advent and preparing my heart (if not my house) in anticipation of the coming Christmas season, I’ve not been in the mood for traditional Christmas music. Not yet. I guess I'm looking forward to the actual celebration from Dec 25-January 6. Our local Christian station is playing Christmas music and talking about this wonderful Christmas season (which they think will end exactly at 12:01 a.m. on December 26. Of course, that's when I'll finally be singing Hark The Herald Angels Sing.)

Call me counter-cultural… I’m just not in the mood yet this year to belt out O Holy Night. 

So what are some great Advent songs?  Good waiting songs?  My traditional favorite O Come O Come Emmanuel is (shhh) growing stale.

But this morning. THIS MORNING. As I turned on the car for my commute, the Christian station played Even So Come and it just put me on FIRE for Christmas next week. Have you listened to this song?  The words fit the Advent season perfectly…

All of creation, All of the earth,
Make straight a highway, A path for the Lord. 
Jesus is coming soon!

Call back the sinner, Wake up the saint!
Like a bride waiting for her groom, We'll be a Church ready for You
So we wait, We wait for You! 
Even so come, Lord Jesus, come.



Jesus we wait for you. We wait for your second coming to lead us to salvation. We trudge through this world, doing what must be done, growing weary. But we know that you will return and make all things new again.

Let every nation shout of Your fame. 
Jesus is coming soon!

Every heart longing for our King, We sing.
Even so come, Lord Jesus, come.

God, we wait, You're coming soon.

Call back the sinner! Wake up the saint! Those words stir up so much imagery.  Call me back. Turn me away from sin and darkness, turn me toward Christ, and make straight my path, because Jesus is coming soon.

Wake up the saint, the one whose life gives us example. Come show us how to live a holy life in Christ’s love.

Jesus we wait for you. We wait at the empty creche for your birth - a newborn babe in Mary’s arms on Christmas day. Some of us are infants ourselves in our yearning for you.

Do not let your hearts become drowsy from the anxieties of daily life! (Luke 21:34)  

Prepare our hearts Lord!  We have one week before Christmas morn – use this time to recommit to Christ, make room for Him, and be open to a newborn relationship with the Son of God.  Even so Come.