The month of December has become one of my favorite times of the year, and not because I am fond of the cold weather, but rather because of the season of Advent. It is a time of waiting and preparation, reflection and reevaluation, of remembering and renewing. And all though I love the traditional hymns we sing throughout the season, there is another song that has become number one on my Advent soundtrack—I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons.
How God Brings Us Back to Him
“I came home like a stone,
And I fell heavy into your arms.
These days of darkness which we’ve known,
Will blow away with this new sun.”
It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, allowing routine to rob us of all that life is really supposed to be about. We slack off, we forget our purpose, we fail… miserably. We get our priorities all mixed up and end up worshiping work, security, comfort. Personally, I can admit that I need the wake up call, the second chance. With the opening words of this song I am reminded of the Prodigal Son who falls into the arms of his father, enveloped in mercy. The image of the rays of the morning sun breaking through the dark night sky and infusing it with pink and purple are just the sign of hope I need to be reminded of what awaits me.
“So break my step and relent,
For you forgave and I won’t forget.
Know what we’ve seen and him with less,
And in some way shake the excess.”
Forgiveness and mercy, the great attributes of God, the gift that He keeps on giving even when we grow tired of asking for it. Thankfully we don’t have to worry about whether or not He is going to extend the invitation. He’s forgiven us in the past and He will do it again. And He knows how to “break our step” and bring us to our knees if and when need be.
The reprioritization of our lives is a very important practice, one that we should take up continually. I say again, I’m thankful for the reminders, both during Advent and Lent. I don’t see either of these seasons as burdensome, but rather as blessings. Yes, we are called to penance and preparation which also means doing without, putting aside, shaking things up and letting Him put them in the right place. And when the object of our worship is anything other God then that’s exactly what is needed.
Fixing Our Eyes on the Prize
“I’ll be bold as well as strong,
And use my head alongside my heart.
So tame my flesh and fix my eyes,
A tethered mind freed from the lies.”
Lent is usually the time for prayer and fasting, but the same is actually true for the season of Advent. Far too often, fasting is not taken seriously and by giving up chocolate for a few weeks we fail to achieve the purpose. To ask God to “Tame my flesh and fix my eyes” is to put the practice in perspective. And oh how badly do we need this.
Deep down in our hearts we feel the longing for Him—whether or not we recognize it—yet the pattern of our lives doesn’t reflect this. Our hearts go one way, our bodies go the other. And after a while our heart tends to give in and fall in line with the way we live our lives. As the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen said, “If we don’t live what we believe, we will end up believing what we live.”
“But I’ll kneel down, wait for now.
I’ll kneel down, know my ground.
And I will wait, I will wait for you.”
This is the commitment. To wait. As we’ve already established, waiting is not fun. It isn’t supposed to be easy, but that’s sort of the point. It is a challenge and the way we respond to this challenge affects not only the way we live our lives, but our eternal lives also hang in the balance. Realizing this makes waiting more than a pious practice. For “we wait in joyful hope, for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Listen to the song again in light of the coming of the Lord and maybe you too will add this one to your Advent playlist. Happy Advent!
Question: What songs do you have on your Advent playlist? Why?
Lyrics quoted are all copyright Mumford & Sons.