I don’t wait well.  I suppose I do okay if I know how long the wait is, or if I have something to occupy the time.  If I am alone, there’s the phone, with ready access to an endless scroll of news stories and posts.  If you are with others and happen to be an introvert (like me), it can become downright problematic, even anxiety inducing.  Do I say something, or do I leave the other person alone with their thoughts? What do I say that doesn’t sound trite?  What if I get trapped by an incessant talker?  These are the guilty, awkward moments of social interaction – or lack thereof. No one wants to appear aloof or snobbish.  Blessed are the extroverts, willing and unafraid to take the first step!
There are other situations this time of year. Weather delays, whether you are stuck in an airport or on a snowy, icy road trying to reach your destination. The family member you haven’t seen in seven years.  Holiday stress, and ever-elusive patience. Waiting for the first party guest to arrive.  Planting a crop, then waiting for months and hoping the right amount of rain falls upon it.

The coming of the Lord.

We are children of the light in a dark world. We know we belong to the Light, but our hearts become dark, cynical and hardened. We do not exhibit a patient attitude to the stranger’s incessant talking, because we haven’t a clue regarding their wilderness journey. We are impatient with life, the moral decay of society, the stagnation of our income stream, and to bottom-line it, our feeling of helplessness to do a gosh-darned thing about it. I am painfully aware that I do not treat others as I should, because I get impatient, not taking the time or care to empathize.

Oh, this season of Advent. The time of year, along with Lent, when we cannot escape the waiting. The spotlight God shines on our dark, caustic soul. And yet, if we are patient and handle the wait well, that spotlight shines in our darkened world with love and joy. Unconditional love and joy. Christ the Savior comes, returns, and will come again next year and the year after that until he really comes to judge, yes, but also to silence our fears, wipe away our tears, and reward our patience. Is there a better feeling in the world than for a long wait to be over? To finally see the doctor, to arrive at our destination, to run into the arms of the loved one you haven’t seen in seven years, when that first party guest arrives. When the earth yields its increase, and people are fed.

May we all wait well for our blessed Redeemer, and be kind to one another.

Pastor Art