The Christmas season is often marked by longing, but the yearning for something elusive that we have lost, is a universal human experience.
It is the longing of exiles.
We were created for something much greater than what we know. We were created to be at home with God, radiating his glory in a world of beauty and plenty. When Adam and Eve rebelled, God placed the world and humanity under a curse, and they were driven out of the Garden which was the special place of his presence. We became exiles.
Since then, God has been working out his plan to bring his people back to himself. Matthew 1 (even in the genealogy!) highlights a few key moments in God's unfolding plan and reveals the Savior, Jesus, Immanuel--God with us, who would save his exiled people from their sins.
The words of the advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" express the yearning of exiles which we feel and the reason for our hope: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
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