A Night of Comfort and Joy

By Guy+ Delcambre, Director of Pastoral Care, Formation and the Arts at All Saints Dallas

Here, in the final waning days of the season of Epiphany, nearly 40 days removed from the Nativity of Christ, it is helpful to remember again the cause for joy and celebration. When we once again began the liturgical cycle at Advent, perhaps our hearts were weary and tired and in need of reminder. Thomas Merton aptly described Advent as “the sacrament of the presence of God in his world, in the mystery of Christ at work through his Church, preparing in a hidden, obscure way for the final manifestation of his kingdom.” With this understanding in mind, we can rightly perceive the point that the liturgical cycle delivers us to again at Advent: that the Seed of Hope came into the world in emptiness, in the absence of power, in the void of security and under the veil of mystery. God descended into our lowliness to be as one of us. To this, our hearts belong, and our songs rise. But, of course, the work of Christ in our world is not done—thanks be to God!

St. Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of three Advents: 1) Christ’s coming in the flesh, 2) his coming into the heart by faith and 3) his coming at the end of time in glory. The first Advent of Christ is a promise, and the third is its ultimate fulfillment. The work of Christ in us in the “middle Advent” is to transfigure us into himself through the imitation of his humble, hidden and sacrificial life. The first Advent of Christ is the seed of hope, the promise of God in the world, and the third Advent reminds us to be on guard, stay alert and pray so as not by our own fault we fail to receive the fulfillment of that promise: humility and sincerity of heart. And amid the middle Advent, we are to live attentively as we strive to lead a life imitating that of Christ: holiness.

Advent is not merely a season of waiting but a call to active preparation: to live in the tension of Christ come, Christ present and Christ’s return. We are invited to embrace the mystery of God’s presence in our lives, not only in the humility of the manger but in the power of his Kingdom breaking into the world today and ultimately in his glorious return. The “middle Advent”—the coming of Christ into our hearts by faith—is a life of a thousand conversions, becoming more like Christ by imitating his life: a life of holiness formed by a certain hope.

Herein lies the often-difficult pastoral work at hand in the lives of those who fill our churches each week throughout the year, for circumstances can work to erode the base of hope and cause more than a wobble in our gait. The work of reminding someone to hope amid difficulty can feel like a magic trick—that is, unless that reminder comes forth from life experience.

With this in mind, we set out to enter into the Advent season with a night of prayer, artistry and testimony set about the themes of comfort and joy. And so, we gathered for vespers to hear the promise of hope in Christ through Scripture and song and to hear the testimonies of parishioners who’d recently traveled through valleys of suffering. I knew we’d made the right decision when nearly 60 parishioners showed up on a Sunday evening to hear what the Lord had done through the lives of those preserved and held together by a very real hope. Tears were spent, as were prayers and thanksgiving; and perhaps most importantly, we were all commended to hope and trust in Christ come into our world and our lives.

As I reflect back on that solemn night, I am reminded what my heart is so quick to forget, even just 40 days beyond the celebration of Christmas: that we are called to imitate his humility, trust in his faithfulness and live with the expectant joy from knowing his promises are true. And so, may we go forward into the rest of this year in the surrender of our vain strivings, our fears and our distractions and make space for Christ to fill us anew. Let us be a people of hope—not a fragile hope rooted in circumstances, but a resilient hope rooted in the sacrament of God’s enduring presence.

Guy+ Delcambre serves as the Director of Pastoral Care, Formation and the Arts at All Saints Dallas, where he aims to guide people into the realities of Christian life as a daily experience. Previously, he worked in pastoral ministry in his hometown of Abbeville, Louisiana for a decade and as a church planter for two years in Denton, Texas and is a published author and poet. Guy is pursuing a Master of Theological Studies with an emphasis in Christian Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary.