It is no wonder that children (of all ages) can’t wait until Christmas.
Since before Halloween we have been inundated with Christmas gift suggestions, advertisements, and store displays.
We also live in a time when we expect our order to arrive very quickly…or yesterday. We want it … and we want it now…NOW!
In contrast…the first Sunday of Advent…encourages us to wait. Wait.
Those who originally waited for the Messiah waited a long time… not minutes or hours… not days or weeks… not months or years. They waited hundreds of years.
What would it mean for us to wait even a year… or maybe almost two? Could we be at peace and find patience as we waited? Could we find the joy in the journey as we waited for the destination? What could it mean for us to wait?
The Church, in its historic wisdom, suggests that we find out. The Church suggests that we wait…and discover life in the waiting, in the longing, in the hoping. If we are really waiting for God-to-be-with-us (Emmanuel) what would we discover…experience…understand in this waiting?
Wait! Wait! for the Lord is coming! Wait…wait…wait!
Ted Anderson
District Associate |
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