It's the music video for Ed Sheeran's song, "The A-Team". It's a song I literally hear on the radio 7 times each day. It's super popular right now. It's a song that's catchy and kind of just makes you want to hum along to. It seems joyful. And it's a song from which I've seen lyrics posted on Facebook and tweeted on Twitter by countless of my high school friends lately.
But listen. Do you hear it? Do you see it? It depicts utter hopelessness. It shows us a girl broken, hollow, empty, unloved, alone. It shouts of darkness and despair and hopelessness.
One lyric in particular has just captured my attention and been weighing on my heart for the last few weeks. It says, "It's too cold outside for angels to fly."
Complete hopelessness.
But all the while this song has been on the brain, so has the season of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, meaning arrival or coming. It is a season of celebrating the coming of Christ, of a Savior. The Hebrews looked forward to the coming of a Savior—the First Advent. They waited expectantly for 400 years without a response from God. FOUR. HUNDRED. YEARS. Now, Advent is both a time for us to look expectantly for Jesus' second coming, but also reminds us to look for His presence every day. This season is about resetting Jesus at the center of our lives. It is a season to be inspired, challenged, hopeful, encouraged, joyful and most of all, expectant.
While the song lyric "it's too cold outside for angels to fly" has been stuck in my thoughts, so has one particular angel-related part of Jesus' birth story.
Luke 2: 8-11
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby [Bethlehem, where the baby Jesus was born], keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."
Jesus, born as a human child in a humble manger, came to be the Savior of the world. He descended from Heaven, to be one of us. To be disappointed and hurt like us. But he then died and rose again. Conquering death. And despair. And hopelessness.
This season I have such hope in Jesus! Who brings good news. Of GREAT joy. For all people.
