Waiting together

Advent is the season of waiting. I find it hard to wait, especially after texting someone who doesn’t respond right away. I ask a question, send a note of encouragement, make a comment-and their response is slow or my message is ignored altogether! Sometimes I’m surprised when they do eventually get back to me days later. It’s always a pleasure when I don’t have to wait long for a response.

Paul had to teach the early church to get accustomed to waiting. The early Christians lived with the expectation of the immediate return of Jesus at his second coming. Of course, after two thousand years of waiting, Christians are still learning how to live in anticipation when we don’t know exactly when that time is. We may still need to wait for a long time to come.

So, perhaps there is value in the waiting itself. And when we get impatient or perplexed, perhaps there’s something we are not seeing in the here and now. Perhaps Christ is coming back to us all the time, in the faces of people we encounter in our daily lives.

What are the glimmers of grace, the rays of hope, the good that you see in others? Where is Christ present for you, today?

Advent God, help us to wait with one another in the patience and love of your son Jesus. Amen. — MEM