While we are waiting, come; while we are waiting, come. Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel, while we are waiting come.

This simple melody offers a near-chanting experience in singing the reflective verses. The lyrics focus on our plaintive plea to find our Lord once again among us. Moving from the first verse of expectation with “waiting,” the second two verses increase in intensity.

The second verse recalls the final refrain of one of my favorite Christmas songs, O Holy Night, when the high soprano or tenor would sing, his power and goo (high note here) – ry ever more proclaim. This hymn asks that when our Lord arrives during our waiting, Christ would come with “power and glory.”

We live in a world that is increasingly rent asunder by difference, indifference, and hatred. The world is a hot mess – one that is in desperate need of the Savior to return again into this world with power and glory to not only redeem, but also to simply save us from ourselves.

In this season of Advent, we wait and watch for the One, who was and is and will be, to return to us. This return will bring the fulfillment of all God’s promises throughout the millennia.  It is with this sense of heightened expectation that we join in the final verse of the hymn: Come, Savior, quickly come; come, Savior, quickly come. Jesus, our Lord, Emmanuel, while we are waiting come.

While We Are Waiting, Come

Reverse Advent Calendar: Everyday, during this season of anticipation, chose one family member or friend with whom you have not spoken in a time. Take the opportunity to call them, hopefully to catch up with them, but at least to tell them how much you love them. Always remember that we love because God first loved us.