Advent? Christmas?

Sometime in the last few years, I was doing some reading and the author said something like, "it would be like singing Christmas hymns during Advent."  The phrase certainly grabbed my attention. I really had no idea what that was supposed to mean. I was surprised to learn, as a grown woman, that churches that observe a liturgical year traditionally sang Advent hymns through the four preparatory Sundays, and Christmas songs and hymns were reserved for the actual 12 days of Christmas from Christmas Day through Epiphany. (And as I read more about it, I learned that the demolition of this tradition has been just about as heated as the worship-style battles in our evangelical churches.)

I began to do a little research into what hymns were considered appropriate for Advent, and found that I knew very, very few of them.  I suppose that should be no surprise.  After all, a structured season leading up to the commemoration of the nativity is pretty much entirely extra-biblical, and we were supposed to be people of the book.

But I really do want to help create a sense of anticipation and longing for Christ's advent, because just as Israel waited for Messiah, so are we waiting for his return.  As I looked over hymns that I found listed as suitable for Advent, I didn't really find very many that I wanted to make a point of teaching my children, as I doubt they'd ever be singing them in corporate worship.  

But I did find some with writing that I liked even if I didn't care to learn the song, and one of those is "O Son of God, We Wait for Thee".  It grabbed my attention first because it used the word "supernal", meaning that contrary to popular opinion "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul" is not the only place that word has ever been used.  

My silliness aside, it also had some lines that fit in with that sense of longing anticipation for his coming advent that I want us to feel:

But while our spirits feel Thee near,
Our eyes would see Thy beauty. 

I think that sums up our situation so well.  Christ in us, Christ never leaving us nor forsaking us, and yet we still see through that glass darkly and are waiting to see face-to-face. As the Bride, let us listen to the Spirit and join as he says, "Come."