Adventing new ways….
Pastoral Perspective — On Watching, Waiting, Ready to be Surprised…
Our feet are standing within your gate… Psalm 122:2
The one bureaucratic constant in our world involves the universal activity of waiting. I’ve often thought about how so many people flock to Disney World for their holiday vacations only to spend hours upon hours waiting in line after line after line, listening to the same old song that never ends of “It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all…. It’s a small, small, world.”
Have you ever thought why in the world do we wait? We wait in line at the grocery, department stores, airports, the bank, the motor vehicle or social security office, the hair stylist, and many other places we may frequently find ourselves in. In a culture that promotes instant gratification, those who are in Christ are challenged with having to exercise the fruit of the Spirit that is patience while witnessing various ways of waiting. As one might pray, “Lord, I need patience, and I need it right now!”
I recently read that throughout their lifetime the average American will spend some astronomical number of hours waiting: waiting in line, waiting at stop lights, in traffic, waiting in the so aptly named “waiting room.” It’s the same old story each year as Advent begins and we head towards Christmastime. You stand in line to buy that perfect gift for a friend or relative. You sit at stop lights anxiously fidgeting to get home while the days get shorter. You slouch on the couch or chair in the waiting room at the doctor’s office with bronchitis or some other respiratory affliction yet again this year. You sit staring at the screen for the great www.World_Wide_Wait.com
As I reminisce on past seasons of Advent, I think, “Where did they go?” My how December seems to just fly by us in the busyness of the season… As Kelly Rand reflects in her daily devotion for Advent, “The time between lighting the candle of hope on the first Sunday of Advent and singing ‘Silent Night’ on Christmas Eve has been spent waiting, but not for God.” She continues writing:
In this busy season, it is so difficult to think of waiting as anything more than a waste of time and preparing as anything more than energy spent, yet it is in this season that the calendar of our faith calls us to rethink the meaning of the word “waiting.”
Our journey through Advent does not allow us to stand idly, arms crossed, toes tapping impatiently. Rather, it calls us into meditation and preparation to receive Christ into our lives and into this world once again. For me, this Advent presents an opportunity to tear the pages out of my “same old story,” and begin anew. Maybe I will turn off the radio in my car more often and listen to the silence instead. Maybe I will seek to simplify my Christmas purchasing by being more mindful of those not given the luxury of a lavish holiday. Above all else, though, I hope to pursue this Advent as a season of the church.[1]
As a fellow pastor, seminary colleague, and dear brother in Christ, K.O. Noonoo puts it another way:
We all wait. Some of us are waiting for a phone call from a long lost relative. Others are waiting for that perfect person to come along; that soul mate with whom you would share your life. Perhaps, you are waiting for a child who has strayed from everything you taught him or her. You are waiting for a knock at your door.
We wait in anticipation for the in-breaking of the glory of God into our present reality. We wait on our tiptoes, watching for glimpses of God’s eventual rule over all creation in our present situations.
Are you waiting with expectancy? The in-breaking of God’s glory may be as glorious as the birth of a child. It may be as quiet as the resolution of a conflict between friends, or the restoration of peace and tranquility where there is strife. It may be the healing of the sick or a renewed sense of hope and comfort among those who grieve. It may be a smile in the face of a child or a loving rebuke from a trustworthy friend.
Are you watching for the in-breaking of God’s glory? Are you ready to be surprised?
Teach us to wait in new ways this Advent season. Prepare us to receive Your grace and respond with love and grace.
In Christ,
Pastor Rex
[1] http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/2007_Advent_Guide.pdf
[1] http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/2007_Advent_Guide.pdf
Rev. Rex Espiritu
