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.

We are all perpetual Messiah seekers. For some of us, it is the seeking of His presence in the final climax, to share in that bread and wine with Him and see Him as He is. For others, it is that first glance, that first brush of His robe, that skin-to-skin contact that awakens them to Love and Life. For still some others, which belong to the first party, the groaning extends beyond our own existence. It stretches over families, it stretches over cities, it stretches over continents and cultures. Some of our carry-on belongings are borrowed bags with loved ones' names on them. Messiah, come! We pray. Emmanuel, come! Not just for us. For them. 

2 Peter 3:9 has become one of my favorite verses to praise God with in this mourning for others. "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." What does this mean? Every day is a gift of mercy. Every day is the Lord giving room and time and grace for more sinners to repent and come to life, for Heaven's Hallelujah to sing a little louder. 

Are you, like Israel, looking for a Messiah full of grace and truth? Call upon the man named Jesus, and sit at His feet and listen. Are you, a child of God, not only longing for the pervading presence of the Messiah in your own life, but for Him to enter the lives of others? Cling to the hope that each day passing is an opportunity for hope, an opportunity to love them more deeply and truly and to stand in the gap in prayer for them. The Messiah is God with us. The Messiah is God for us.