"Those who wait on the Lord, rarely if ever, wait in vain." - Bishop G

Dear friends,

            It’s common knowledge around my house that if you can’t find our West Highland White Terrier, named Buck, the next best place to look is in the closets.  Buck is famous for quietly going into any open closet and if the door is closed, he will lie down and patiently wait for someone to remember him and open the door.  Buck will not bark or scratch on the door to alert us that he’s trapped.  He is content to wait in the dark, quietly trusting his rescue will come.  Though better equipped for waiting than his owner, my doggie is miles ahead of me.  

            While monks may shut themselves away to limit stimulation to help them find God, most of us don’t live their lifestyle.  I read that if I want to nourish my spiritual life, I should aim to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry” from my life.    

            Yet, for a Christian, impatience is more than a problem. It may be a missed opportunity for spiritual growth.  Many times, in scripture, God himself, who is all-powerful and all-wise, says to his people, “Wait.” “Be still before the Lord, wait patiently for him…Wait for the Lord and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land.”

            Forty-three times in the Old Testament alone, the people are commanded to wait.   Abraham waited 24 years for God to make him a father.  Jesus sent the disciples to Galilee after he was resurrected to wait for him there.  In the Bible, waiting is often used interchangeably with the word faith.  And I notice those who wait on the Lord, rarely if ever, wait in vain.  Yet the New Testament ends with the words about waiting: Jesus promises: “Surely I am coming soon.” The people reply: “Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus.”  Maybe waiting is a kind of hope. 

            Someone said, “What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.”  Of course, our modern culture doesn’t encourage waiting; in fact, it is just the opposite. So, learning to wait is usually a painful and forced skill.   There’s another way. 

            Advent is the traditional season of waiting.  At Advent, the Church counts the days to the coming of Jesus by deliberately thinking about what life is like without God.  We’re asked to examine our longings and our limitations.  We anticipate heaven from a place where things are darker.  Our liturgical colors turn to blue.  We mark the passing of time by lighting candles one by one each week on our advent wreath. 

             We even wait to use our fancy decorations until Jesus’ birth.  We wait until Christmas Eve to join our secular culture, singing Christmas songs.  We wonder how we can prepare ourselves to receive the baby God, attempting what my liturgy professor calls “holy waiting.”   

This year, we have four full Sundays of Advent to practice, with Christmas falling on a Wednesday. The world will invite us to rush through these next three weeks, looking for the right Christmas gifts.  But at church, we’ll be caroling, praying, reaching out to the least and lost, sharing love and hope, and getting ready.  I hope you’ll join in the Advent practice of waiting and notice anew how much we need it.  Maybe if we pause, slow down, and take each day in small moments, we’ll not only eliminate hurry but we’ll also welcome something more lasting.

            Emmanuel is coming…I hope I see you at church! 

Blessings,

Bishop G.