I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. (Psalm 130:5)
There is so much to do before your first child is born. From the time the doctor says, "You're going to have a baby," up to the delivery you need to prepare a room, buy newborn baby clothes, acquire all the necessary equipment like a car seat and a stroller and a crib. There will likely be a baby shower, or two (if you are lucky) and hours spent pouring over potential names for the child. As the bumbling magician says in "Frosty the Snowman," busy, busy, busy.
At the same time there is really very little to do, especially if you are the father. Yes, the mother needs to eat right and take care of herself, but much of the nine months of pregnancy is just waiting. Nature takes its course, cells reproduce and multiply all on their own, DNA determines everything from height to hair color, all while mom and dad wait for the big day.
That is very similar to the season of Advent. On one hand there is so very much to do. Decorations to hang, cookies to be baked, and eaten! Presents to be ordered, bought, and wrapped. Cards to be sent. So much to do, so little time. Busy, busy, busy.
On the other hand Advent is also a season of waiting. Do you remember how long the month of December seemed as a child? Each day was an eternity. Clocks ran slower. Time stood still, especially when it was time spent in school. It felt like Christmas morning would never get here and in the meantime all you could do was wait.
Now that we are older, what are we waiting for? Are we still waiting for the presents beneath the tree? Are we waiting for the next batch of Christmas cookies to come out of the over? Or are we waiting for something more, something bigger, something new?
In an article I was reading recently the author said that the Hebrew word for wait can also mean hope, as in Psalm 130. I like that. Waiting and hoping are deeply connected in many situations. Waiting for a child to be born and hoping they will be healthy and well. Waiting for test results and hoping everything will be alright. Waiting for family to come home and hoping they arrive safely. Waiting and hoping go together like Santa and reindeer.
Here in this season of Advent, as we are waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we are also hoping; hoping the new year will be better than the last, hoping for peace and justice in the world, hoping God's kingdom is just a little closer than it was before, plus each of us filled with our own personal hopes for what the birth of Christ may bring.
I don't know that you can have waiting without hoping, whether it is the birth of your child or the coming of the holiday. Here and now, we are waiting for Christ, and in this child we hope.
Worship This Week
Facebook Live Only, Sunday 10am
3rd Sunday of Advent: Hope In the Face of Struggle & Injustice
New Opportunity
Advent Candle Lighting Zoom
Join Pastor Wayne on Zoom on Sunday, December 13, 6:30pm for a brief devotional time as we light the third Advent candle of Joy! If you are interested let me know and I will email the link to join.
Keep In Prayer:
Harriett Ryerson, Ellie Justice, Don Long, Alvin Shelley, Dee Kuhlman
Our shut-ins: Kate Shelley, Dot Ann Smith, Nora Smith, Helen Payne