Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry
Advent is a season of waiting. We wait in line. We wait for parties. We wait to give presents. We wait to receive presents. And most importantly, we wait for the birth of Jesus. Waiting is not something that comes naturally to us today. We rarely have to wait for anything. We are a culture of instant gratification. You want that new book, well, you can have it instantly on your tablet. You want that new video game, well, you can download it instantly. You want that new TV, well, you can just buy it with your credit card and have it delivered to your door in 24 hours. And when we do have to wait in line, traffic, or for an appointment, we don't have to sit unoccupied. We can just turn on our smart phones and check our e-mail, surf the internet, and text our friends. Our waiting muscles have become pretty flabby.
So, why does the church set aside an entire season for waiting? What possible purpose could this season serve for us today? We really don't have to wait a whole lot if we don't want to. The problem though is this: when you can have anything you want whenever you want, somehow nothing is as special or as good as it once was. When you can have anything you want whenever you want, you stop appreciating what you have, and you can easily forget the joy of the journey and begin to think that all that matters is the destination.
What follows are members of St. Paul's stories of waiting, what they learned from waiting and how God was with them in the midst of their waiting. May they be an encouragement to you this Advent season to slow down and embrace the periods of waiting in your life, because God is not where we have been or where we are going, but instead God is with us in the present.
Peace,
Suzannah +
So, why does the church set aside an entire season for waiting? What possible purpose could this season serve for us today? We really don't have to wait a whole lot if we don't want to. The problem though is this: when you can have anything you want whenever you want, somehow nothing is as special or as good as it once was. When you can have anything you want whenever you want, you stop appreciating what you have, and you can easily forget the joy of the journey and begin to think that all that matters is the destination.
What follows are members of St. Paul's stories of waiting, what they learned from waiting and how God was with them in the midst of their waiting. May they be an encouragement to you this Advent season to slow down and embrace the periods of waiting in your life, because God is not where we have been or where we are going, but instead God is with us in the present.
Peace,
Suzannah +