advent, fulfilled promises, & a christmas wedding

{they waited like a child watches out the window for their father to return from work—they waited
like a groom stares at the double doors at the back of the church—they waited
and in their waiting, they had hope
hope that was fully pledged to a God they had not seen
to a God who had promised a King
a King who would reign over the enemy
over Satan’s tyranny
they waited}
 
even though i grew up in the church i don't think i ever really knew what "advent" meant or why it was significant to christmastime. but quite simply, advent is the the time observed from the 4 weeks leading up to december 25th; it is a time set aside as an expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of christ's birth and not only his first coming, but his second when he comes back to claim those who belong to him.

in the Bible, the body of christ is commonly referred to as the "bride of christ." he is our groom, loves us with an incredible love, claims us as his beloved, laid down his life for us. last night, i got to see this tangibly during a wedding that i had the honor of being a part of. christmas weddings are beautiful. i know everyone likes summer because of the flowers and the warm weather and the colors and it's "wedding season" [blah blah blah] but there is something gorgeous about a winter wedding. the berries, the white candles, and christmas trees…i just love it. anyways, so my sister and i got to be in the house party for a girl who used to babysit for us when we will little and we are still close to her family today. [i could probably write a whole other blog about the girl who got married because she's incredible and their wedding was a perfect picture of a marriage whose foundation is on loving each other like Christ loved us], BUT one of my favorite things about weddings is the time between when all the family is seated and the bridesmaids and groomsmen are standing on the stage, and all eyes are on the back door, waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle. i get butterflies when i think about how andrew was feeling waiting for megan. the processional is long and almost seems drawn out. tension and anxiousness is building and as everyone stands, megan walks through the back door with her dad at her side. she is beautiful-tall, dark hair, bright blue eyes…i told her about 5 times she could be a bride model. but i love to watch the groom as he watches his bride walking toward him. i cry nearly every wedding watching his reaction- whether its a giant smile or tears, it's the most precious thing seeing the way they anticipate the arrival of their future wife. he doesn't care about anything else- the day has come and his eyes are locked on her, watching her walk down the aisle to him.

my sweet friend molly burned me the folk angel cd a few weeks ago. it’s a christmas cd with a compilation of songs from different singers from lauren chandler to robbie seay band collaborating with folk angel to bring beautiful renditions of classic christmas songs as well as originals. although this whole cd is wonderful (it has been on repeat in my car since i got it), there is one particular song that i've been jammin to more than the others and it's called God with us, by isaac wimberely (see below).

i went to the village church with molly after thanksgiving and they prefaced matt chandler's sermon with the video to God with us. his sermon was titled "promises and patience" and he talked about the thousands of years leading up to Christ's coming; generation after generation, people having to wait on their promised savior that was coming to save them from satan's tyranny. he walked us through genesis, when God promised abraham that Jesus would come in his bloodline and touched on prophecies in Numbers, 2 Samuel, and Isaiah that pointed to Jesus' coming and even described what he would eat and the signs that would prove that it was really him. the point being, they had to wait on the Lord. he had promised a savior to his people and while their anticipation was growing throughout the Bible, this time of year reminds us of God's promise that came true. the lyrics are amazing and i'll attach them as well as the video, but really this song combined with matt's sermon that sunday captured me and has weighed heavy on my heart. we all know that "Jesus is the reason for the season" but it's more than that. it's a time of reflection, yes, but also of anticipation and hope. a hope that does not disappoint in a God who doesn't fail. just as the Jews for thousands of years had to wait for their Savior, so now we wait for his second coming. like andrew watched those double-doors and waited for megan, his love and his bride, so we wait. we live and love those around us, dedicating our life to his work, knowing this is not our home, and that God has promised to bring us home with him. when that will be, no one knows, but like matt said in his sermon:

"he keeps his promises, he always has and we can trust him. he will tarry until the rescue plan has been completed...we have the wedding ring, we are waiting, longing for the wedding feast."

God with us video & lyrics