Lord this advent season, as every other one, there is brokenness crying out to you.

Broken hearts, broken bodies, broken spirits longing to find an answer to their cries,

Longing to find that sweet expectant-ness that they’ve heard whisper of,

Longing to rest in that Peace that passes all understanding that they’ve read of,

Lord, longing to feel Your Presence amidst the presents and know Your stillness in the midst of the hectic bustle.

Lord, we desperately seek You against all odds, against all hurts and pain that make us want to turn away from You.

We stubbornly refuse to let go of that still small Hope that burns within us, that refuses to let go of what we know to be true.

The broken parts of this world weigh heavier this Advent season, a season of hushed excitement that just feels empty when faced with babies with no families and kids with literal broken hearts.

How do we reconcile the Hope of the season with the brokenness that surrounds us? How do we continue to press on in Joy when our hearts ache with the troubles of this world?

Perhaps the answer is this: the brokenness is what leads us to the manger. The brokenness is what fills our hearts with such deep longing, that only a Savior babe in a humble manger can fill.

Perhaps the brokenness can give us an even deeper excitement at the Messiah’s coming.

Perhaps these broken Advent seasons can even more lead us to press into the Christmas Story where we can curl up by the Manger and be held in the presence of the Holy One come down from His throne to serve the world.

Perhaps the light from the Star can fill our faces and hearts with a brightness that shines out more than a tree.

Perhaps this Advent season we can let go and fall into the arms of the babe in the manger who ended up on the Tree, His love on display to a world that desperately needed Him.