Uncommon Comfort

"Comfort, O comfort My people" says your God. (Is 40:1)

The holiday season can bring a sense of melancholy for so many. Whether it's missing those who are far away, those who have passed or simply not being the joyful person you feel like you ought to be, we have all experienced the holiday blues at some point.

Charlie Brown tells Linus at the beginning of A Charlie Brown Christmas, "I think there might be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel."

I think the reason this movie has remained a classic for so many generations is that we all have those Charlie Brown moments - wanting to feel the way we know we are supposed to feel - and yet, it seems so elusive at times. This tension, whether we admit it or not, is a tension of the "no longer but not yet" existence we continue to experience.

This is expressed beautifully in the christmas hymn, O Come O Come Emmanuel:
O come Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

The Dayspring is the light that is promised in Isaiah 60 and Malachi 4. It is the promised Messiah, whom the angels herald and the wise men sought. It is the fulfillment of all God promised when He said through the prophet Jeremiah that He would be our God and we would all know Him (Jer 31).

No longer do we shiver in the darkness that surrounds the world. We find ourselves with eternal lights in our souls shielding us from the oppression of night.

Any yet....

We are in the night. We are in darkness. We are in the tension. We are no longer, but not yet.

Jesus says "I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright and morning star (or "dayspring")." Rev 22:16

He is the one whose advent brings us cheer and disperses the clouds of night. But He also understands where we are right now. He walked this earth and allowed Himself - O Light and Life Eternal - allowed Himself to be swallowed by the darkness so that He could be our source of comfort and peace. "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:15-16)

Our response is also given. "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come". And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water without cost." (Rev 22:17)

Like Charlie Brown, we think we are supposed to be happy this time of year, having a "holly, jolly Christmas" wishing  everyone  to "have a merry little christmas". The common response is to paint on a happy face and repress the moments that chill our spine or feel weighty or downright sad. The superficial smile makes us less like Christ - not more joyful.

Our Savior walked this broken earth not only to bring us His light, but to be with us in the darkness. He wants us to cry out "Come", with the faith that He is the anchor for our soul. In some ways, the melancholy is more appropriate than unfettered joy. We can sing "Joy to the world, the Savior reigns" but we can also sing "And in despair I bowed my head. There is not peace on earth I said. For hate is strong and mars the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men."

In the official Disney definitions of emotions from the amazing movie Inside Out, "melancholy" is that blue and yellow ball representing the mix of joy and sadness at once. Life is too complicated to try to define how we feel in binary emotions - either happy or sad. The uncommon comfort is not trying to be happy, but allowing ourselves to be melancholy and know that Christ fully enters into that state with us.

Emmanuel, God with us, means that God is here in this moment of tension and heartache. He is in this moment of sadness and disappointment. He is in this moment of loneliness and sorrow.

May we all walk with each other in uncommonly comforting ways this advent season. If we can do that faithfully for each other,  it truly will be the most wonderful time of the year.