Waiting

Sometimes you have heard things 100 times and you know exactly what is being said, but for some reason (the Holy Spirit) this time when you hear it, you sit up and take notice. That happened to me a couple of weeks ago in worship.

It was the first Sunday of Advent, our journey in the church toward Christmas. My colleague, Gregg, was reminding us that one of themes of this time of year is “waiting”.  I learned this in seminary nearly 40 years ago and have said it myself many times during the advent season. I have preached on the theme of waiting and I have reminded people that our idea of waiting is unique. Waiting is not biding our time, or cooling our heels, or standing in line. Waiting is actively engaging in life and living out God’s desires, anticipating His fulfillment.  

For some reason, this particular Sunday, “waiting” made me sit up and take notice and begin to wrestle with waiting again.

Waiting is not something I do naturally. No one has ever referred to me as “Peter Patience”.  I don’t like lines at the gas station, the toll booth, the theater, the grocery store, or the concession stand.  Waiting for a doctor, a phone call, something I have ordered, a promise that has been made to be fulfilled, or for someone to take action, is excruciating for me. 

The Israelites waited 400 years to hear from God. 400 years!  Are any of us that patient? We pray and expect God to answer immediately, or at least within a reasonable time frame...like hours, or at the most a few days. 

Then, after 400 years of waiting, the Israelites didn’t yet understand. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:9-11) 

I have waited; for dreams to be fulfilled, for difficulty to subside, for painful situations to be over, for grief to resolve, for kids to mature, for myself to be more patient. 

         

We all wait. 

But Christians wait differently. We actively wait, engaging in life and living out God’s desires until he fulfills his promises. Sometimes what we receive when our waiting concludes is not what we expected, like a king born without fanfare amidst animals, who brings about a kingdom that is not material but spiritual, who tells us to love our enemies, to serve and not be served, and to be humble so we can be exalted.

As we wait this Christmas season for God to deliver again, what are we really waiting for, and how we will know when the wait is over?

   

~Rev.