Advent Longing.

Morning light brings us the reminder that today offers us only so many hours; hours we devote to accomplishing, achieving, winning, and hurrying. We are a people preoccupied with the building of many kingdoms; kingdoms built with bricks of wealth and prejudice, which we lay with order and haste around ourselves, building up our own kingdom of security. We are too busy to feel, and too busy to care.

The afternoon hours remind us the day is rushing on. So we eat fast, and multi-task because there is much kingdom building to be done. There are assignments to complete, sermons to be prepared, tests to study for and little time for all that other impractical stuff.

The evening comes and there is more class and more conversations and meetings and more papers.

But night. Night is different.

Here in the night our longings cannot be denied. We are hungry for more than our rushed meals. We are thirsty for more than our over-caffeinated beverages. We need more than to finish our homework. We want more than to get an A.

We are hungry for, thirsty for, need, want …

You.

Would You come, Savior? Will You come, our Jesus? Oh, how long! These, our streets, resemble a war zone more than a city, and are crying out for Your calm. Oh, Prince, would You come in Your peace and reorient us to the building of Your kingdom? We, Your people, more resembling a rushing drove than a commune of saints, are thirsty for Your presence. We are desperate for You, God, to come and be with us.

Oh, come. Oh, please. Come, Emmanuel.