“Come here,” I mumble to my husband, who is already in my bed. 

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Immanuel is with us now, and yet we cry, “O come!” 

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O Christ, be nearer than the near you are! “Be born in us today,” says the children’s hymn. We know the theological math: He was promised. He was incarnate. He will be with us always, until the end of the age. So why do I plead, “Be near me today. I really need your help, Lord. Don’t be far away?”

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Well, for one thing, it’s dark. I may be as safe in my life as in my own bed, but night is dark. This fallen world’s sun has set, and we are longing for the true, bright dawn. I know he said he’d be with us, but where is he when my resources are running out? Where is he when no one listens to each other? “O Come, O Come, Immanuel,” says the ancient hymn. Since the first century, we’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting to see his face again. “It’s so dark in here. Where are you??” Cries the tired heart.

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“Where are you?” called the Lord to Adam. “Here I am,” quavered Abraham. “Here I am,” murmured Samuel into the dark night. “Speak, Lord, your servant listens.” And with a mighty, outstretched arm, The Bridegroom pulls us close, like a husband in the night. He’s in the dark with us. God-With-Us. “O Come, O Come, Immanuel!” 

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“Come here,” murmurs my soul. 

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Blessed Advent, everybody.

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P.S. I’m attaching a song which has a very different energy from this piece, and it might be a challenging style for you. But don’t be afraid. Give it a listen, and hear the cry of the soul in joyful expectation of him - even while it is already wrapped in the arms of God-With-Us.

Listen to Come Jesus Come by CeCe Winans