We have been using Kate Bowler’s The Weary World Rejoices Advent group guide in our community group. We’ve talked much these past two weeks about the challenges and difficulties we experience because we live in a broken world.
The season of Advent is upon us—a season that invites us into the tension of ‘already’ and ‘not yet,’ where we hold the fragile hope that everything broken will be made whole, that every sorrow will be met with joy, and that every deep longing will be filled with love. It’s about finding a way to sit with the messiness of life while still holding on to the promise of what’s to come.
Kate Bowler
Brokenness is obvious. Maybe you’ve experienced the death of a loved one, a personal failing, a dashed hope, or a besetting sin that you can’t seem to conquer. Broken family relationships, tangled finances, job loss, physical pain – the list can go on.
The joyful sounds of the season may be more than you can bear. You might even wonder if you could somehow skip this Christmas.
Have you heard this Christmas song?
O come, all you unfaithful Come, weak and unstable Come, know you are not alone
O come, barren and waiting ones Weary of praying, come See what your God has done
O come, bitter and broken Come with fears unspoken Come, taste of His perfect love
O come, guilty and hiding ones There is no need to run See what your God has done
Christ is born, Christ is born Christ is born for you
Songwriters: Bob Kauflin / Lisa Clow
Lisa Clow, one of the lyricists of the song “O Come All you Unfaithful,” writes,
I was struggling. It had been a long year and a half. Finances were stressful, I miscarried twins, and on top of it, I was battling a deep relational bitterness. My church was having its annual service, where they kick off the Christmas season with carols and special songs, and I, for once, was not singing. I told them I wouldn’t be able to sing, but they didn’t know that I was too overcome with shame to stand on stage before my church.
That Sunday morning, I stood at my seat as they began to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and the song’s first line just clobbered me. It hit me like a giant wave of guilt.
O come all you faithful, joyful and triumphant!
I remember hearing those words and thinking, “I have been so unfaithful. My joy has dwindled, and I am a triumphant…failure.” And I didn’t sing the rest of the service.
I drove home, my mind still churning, “Is that really who is invited to come to Jesus? The faithful? The joyful? The triumphant? If so, then I am hopeless.” …
That evening, I had a strong conviction to write a song for myself and for the weary, the broken, and the ashamed.
There’s a line towards the end of the song that is our invitation today:
So come, though you have nothing Come, He is the offering Come, see what your God has done
We come with nothing, no good have we done to merit what God is offering to us. Instead, He invites us to receive His gift of mercy and grace.
If your brokenness feels overwhelming today, I invite you to sit quietly in God’s presence because He is present with you. Christ was born to save us from our sins. All of them! He is a mighty savior who takes great delight in you, renewing you with His love. And He sings loudly, even shouting for joy over you! (Zephaniah 3:17)
Prayer
Dear God, the Lamb who was given, slain for our pardon Our God, who promises us peace Forgive our sins and restore the joy of our salvation Let us hear joy and gladness again So that we can sing aloud of Your righteousness Being renewed by Your Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thought provoking post. Our church does a Blue Christmas service for those lamenting and grieving