Advent 13: All is Not Yet Bright

Charlie Brown wants to be happy just once on Christmas, and he's still just as depressed as last year.

Sufjan Stevens sings about the "Worst Christmas Ever": Our father yells, throwing our gifts in the wood stove. My sister runs away, taking her books to the schoolyard.

Our churches plan quaint and warm Christmas Eve services while in the home across the street there is sadness, disappointment, grief, estrangement, abuse.

We talk about peace and joy and love and good will and everything being right. It's the most wonderful time of the year, after all. We drive past homes and imagine the scenes of joy happening inside, families opening gifts in front of the fireplace, when in reality, there may be an angry father burning presents in rage.

And in our hearts, it is made worse because it is Christmas. Maybe it's the talking heads telling us everything is supposed to be OK now. Maybe it's our hearts affirming that something is still wrong here, and in so doing, we affirm that there's something better that we're still missing. It's not supposed to be this way, we insist.

It might be as small as the nagging feeling of emptiness after opening the presents. Or it might be much more serious--illness, dysfunction. Regardless, there is still darkness in this world. All is not yet bright. Silent night, Holy night, Nothing feels right, Sufjan sings.

Our answers are many but always fall short. Lucy says more community involvement. Sally's hoping more presents help. Snoopy gets sucked into commercialism and money, showing off his house to the neighborhood. And exasperated from the search, Charlie Brown yells, "Doesn't anyone know the real meaning of Christmas?!"

"Great tidings of joy...for all people," Linus proclaims.

But my dad just threw the presents in the fire, Linus. How is this baby in a manger bringing me any joy? How does this two-thousand-year-old story bring me any hope when I'm cold and lonely, reading books in the schoolyard on Christmas morning?

Whatever my lot, this baby makes all things well with my soul. That's important. But all is not yet bright.

And so, we keep waiting. Waiting for him to reappear just as he left, and this time truly making all things right, when every eye will finally see him and every knee will rightfully bow and the trees of the field will clap their hands. Like a tired Jew waiting for deliverance from the cruelty of the Egyptians or the Babylonians or the Romans, we wait for full deliverance from the shadows of darkness in this life.

As one man puts it, He comes to make his blessings known far as the curse is found.

And as Sufjan concludes, In time the Lord will rise.

Like many other weary soujourners before us, we plead, How long O Lord?

In the last chapters of story, he tells us, Behold! I'm making all things new! and I am coming quickly!

And so like John we respond, Amen! Come Lord Jesus!