Word-Filled-Wednesday: Rom 8:22-23

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Rom 8:22-23 NIV)

Many lovely blogging sisters are participating in Amydeane's popular WFW today. You can find them at Susan's blog, Forever His this week.

Reflection: Why Christmas Isn't All Fun & Fa-La-La-La
Written by e-Mom. Follow me on Twitter. Subscribe in a Reader

In some ways, this wintry Advent season is a time of groaning and longing. It's a time when spiritually, we quietly sink inward, as we wait patiently for Christmas day to come.

The current season on God's calendar for bringing about his plan for redemption is similar. In fact, when talking about the Lord's timeline for establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, some theologians use the phrase, "already/not yet."

In other words, we already lay claim to some of the promises, but we have not yet laid hold of all of them. According to the verse above, believers now enjoy the "first fruits" of the Spirit, but we know by faith that there is still more to come. Paul says we "groan within ourselves," waiting eagerly for our bodily resurrection, and our adoption as a son or daughter of God.

Sometimes I've wondered why Christmas isn't exactly all it's billed to be. Even in a rare year when everything comes together nearly perfectly, I feel disappointed. Each Christmas e-Dad and I put up the most beautiful lighted tree, sing like angels in church, listen to meaningful Advent readings, we're surrounded by our happy family, we prepare delicious food and enjoy a few carefully chosen gifts. Yet, it's never quite what we've longed for or waited for. Listen to Matthew Woodley's poignant explanation for why this might be so.

Throughout Advent we catch glimpses of a better world. And as we catch glimpses of this Messiah-healed world, we long for its coming now. All of the best Advent hymns capture this spirit of groaning and longing for Messiah's better world. When we sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," with its dark unresolved melody, it cracks our hearts open with longing's wound. And yet, we know Messiah has come, even as we wait for him to come again. Advent is a deliciously painful mix of joy and anguish.

This Advent-like longing is at the heart of Christian spirituality... C.S. Lewis claimed that in this life the Advent-like stab of longing serves as a spiritual homing device, placed deep in our heart by God to lead us back to him.

Advent trains us to ache again. Of all the seasons of the church year, Advent is the time to acknowledge, feel, and even embrace the joyful anguish of longing for Messiah's birth and the world's rebirth. So we sing our aching songs while we light candles and festoon the church with greenery.

That is Advent longing . . .

Quote via Tami Boesiger's blog, The Next Step.

Related

• Theology: The Kingdom of God. "Already But Not Yet"

Photo: Muffet (Flickr)

How are things going this Christmas?
May I pray for you?