Reflections on Advent

December 2023 Devotional

A defining memory of my childhood was joining my family each night to sing the ancient advent hymn “O come, O come, Emmanuel” before dinner. On Saturdays, the routine expanded, and as we’d process through the house with our little incense burner, my small family of four would sing through all of the verses as we went from room to room. Memories of home and the Advent season are deeply linked for me with lines from this hymn. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, where I grew up and continue to worship, we have bonus Advent. Instead of only the familiar 25 days of the Advent season, our Advent started early and lasted 40 days. This gave us even more time to sing this beautiful hymn together in growing anticipation of our Emmanuel’s coming.

Coming of age as a gay Christian devoted to my Christian faith, I deeply resonate with the longing expressed so poignantly in this hymn. A defining part of my experience as a gay Christian man pursuing celibacy is a longing that will never be fully fulfilled on this side of eternity. All of us, both gay and straight, have a sense that we were not made for just this world and have an innate longing for more, but for side-B folk, this longing is often profound. It’s easy to feel like we are somehow in exile here with our longings unfulfilled, waiting for someone or something to rescue us. This universal experience of longing is echoed so deeply through each verse of this hymn:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel;

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer,

Our Spirits by Thine Advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, thou Lord of Might

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law,

In cloud, and majesty, and awe.​​​​​​​

Left with only these verses, we feel the deep longing of the hymnist for a savior. We know, though, that this is not where we are left. Each verse ends with the bursting refrain of Christmas: “​​Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.” Like the hymnist, we are not left in our longing without fulfillment or hope. We know our hope finds restoration in the incarnation of the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. It is my hope this Advent season that while we all experience this universal longing, we can join together to sing that joyful refrain.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel is here! The Rod of Jesse has come and freed us from Satan’s tyranny. The Day-Spring has come and cheered our spirits. The Key of David has opened wide our heavenly home. The Lord of Might has come, and together we all rejoice.

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