They had given an hour of their lives in exchange for some soup, a piece of bread, and a slice of pie. Now it was our turn. We were here to bring the gospel and the carols of the season. It was Christmas. The twinkling lights and plastic wreaths gave that away. But the dirge seeping from their hearts was louder than the joy of which we tried to sing.
The clamor in the space bounced off the walls and made it hard to concentrate. Then she stepped up to sing her song. The young girl opened her mouth and it was like angels descended and whispered “peace, be still.” As the first chords spilled out, the room became eerily silent.
“I have traveled many moonless nights…” I am sure those first few words struck a chord of their own in the hearts of these homeless men. Yes, this was a song sung by Mary as she struggled to make sense of what God is doing in her life. But let’s hear those words along with these ragamuffins who were holding their breath…
“I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now…”
The ache of loneliness, the loss of broken dreams, the sickness of hope deferred or worse yet, deleted. As she reached the chorus, the hardened lines of their faces swelled with rivers of tears and they uttered a collective sigh…
“Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy, Breath of Heaven.”
Longing is a powerful thing. It can take you to your knees or it can take you to the feet of Jesus. I am not sure if the men in that room knew what they were longing for that night. But I do know that God showed up to meet them. The ones with open eyes saw Him.
Israel had been waiting for hundreds of years. I’m not sure they knew what they were waiting for either. They were easily distracted by their circumstances. They would thank God for delivering them from the slavery of Egypt and then ask to go back to what they knew. Did they want a Savior or a King? Did they want a God who would preserve them or a God that would change them?
When the baby Jesus pushed through and let out His first breath, He breathed life into a breathless world. Luke, chapter 2, tells us that the shepherds saw Him, perhaps because their hearts were silent in the field. They were terrified by the magnitude of His coming, but awed by the simplicity of a stable. Simeon looked on the child and knew that Israel’s comforter had come. He was the Consolation of Israel. That baby would wrap His arms around an aching world and bring it peace. Anna, the prophetess, saw Him too. He was the Redemption of Israel. He would give them back their hope. He would restore their faith. And He would buy back their lost souls with His precious blood.
Where do you find yourself this advent season?
Are you waiting in silence like the shepherds, hoping for a tiny miracle to come and break into the routine of your life?
Are you like Simeon, joyfully and faithfully working while anticipating God’s next move in your life?
Do you need God to redeem what the “locusts” have stolen from you?
Or are you like those men in the room? Do you need Christ to restore your hope?
Listen and watch. He is about to exhale.