2nd Sunday of Advent
I love Advent! It used to be a season of getting ready for Christmas, but the commercial kind; putting up decorations, buying presents for friends and family, and watching the same handful of Christmas movies on a loop with my wife. While all of that still happens, the last couple of years, I’ve tried to pay more attention to the true ‘reason for the season.’ Waiting for Christmas!
I can hear the chorus of ‘Thanks, Capt. Obvious!’ But we are not merely counting down to gifts under the tree. We are waiting for the Messiah – for Christ Jesus to enter the world and bring us back to relationship with God! And the waiting is important. It shows obedience, humility, and trust. No wonder this world tries to get us to move at Mach 6! During Advent, we won’t see our schedules become freer, our responsibilities ebb, our workloads decrease. And with all the great holiday activities, we won’t see our desire to do ALL THE THINGS diminish either. Tis the season to run around like absolute maniacs! Waiting…and being deliberate about it…might be a heavier lift than you think!
This idea of deliberate waiting has been on my mind since the week or two leading up to Advent. When I sat down to write this post, it’s the first thing I thought to put down, but that doesn’t always work when I look at the Sunday’s readings. Well…enter St. Paul!
The other two readings were wonderful; we had the awesome hope-inspiring prophesy from Isaiah and the spiritual kick in the asp (actually, viper) from John the Baptist in Matthew’s Gospel. But St. Paul’s message hit like a tractor trailer paired with what has been in my heart. He speaks to the church in Rome of endurance and encouragement, particularly gained through Scripture.
In our seemingly upside-down world, waiting takes heroic endurance. Turning to Scripture and allowing God’s word to encourage us and recharge our spiritual batteries can help us build the endurance we need to wait for hope, peace, joy, and love. Simply setting time aside every day this Advent to encounter Christ through the written word will help cut through all the lights, eggnog, and carols.
Because Christ calls us to something different…something more…something better. Slow down. Sit with stillness. Wait. We want to accomplish. We want to achieve. We want to DO! But here’s the thing…Christ is always the first mover. ALWAYS. We respond to Him, to His call, to His will.
We are meant to follow…and, sometimes, that means waiting.