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Wait for the Lord;
Be strong, and let your heart take courage.
Wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
When I was a kid (a child of Southern emigres) growing up on Long Island, New York, if we wanted to visit family we would hop a train to travel to New Jersey to visit my Mom’s older sister. It was great fun to make that trip, especially since we knew that we would be greeted with vast amounts of love on the other side.
But I also remember how torturous it was to wait. We would mount the many steps up to the platform, careful not to fall off as we leaned forward, waiting for that light in the distance of the train that would take us there. But the wait … ugh. It was so long; or so it seemed for a kid.
Waiting is still something we don’t like. We want things to happen already, for the good times to get here already. Especially this time of year. My brother and I would count down the days until Christmas. These days we have all kinds of Advent calendars that give you a piece of chocolate for each day you have to wait. There are even Advent calendars for our pets, so they can share in the delicious (really?) act of waiting.
We hate to wait. But waiting is a part of life, and it is especially a part of this time of year. It’s not Christmas yet. Jesus hasn’t shown up yet. It is Advent, and Advent means “Coming.” And if something is coming, that means it hasn’t shown up yet.
Or, in our case, someone hasn’t shown up yet. We have to wait.
But this waiting is not some anxious, wringing your hands kind of waiting. This is the kind of waiting the 27th Psalm refers to. It is a waiting filled with hope, and with expectation.
When we spend these days of Advent not in looking forward to getting goodies but in anticipation of the arrival of the One who will save us from everything that can hurt, divide or destroy us, our waiting is transformed. It can yet be seen as that light in the distance that will take us to those we love.
Loving God, in the midst of our anxiousness about waiting, calm us down to listen to what you have to say to us. Be present in our waiting, and grant us your peace. In the name of the One we are waiting for. Amen.
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