Windswept – December 2015
Posted on December 3, 2015 by spiritofjoy 1 comment
“My soul waits for the LORD, more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6
There has been a lot of waiting this year in our family. The anticipation of our first grandchild was very exciting. Her parents, of course, spent nine months on the front-line of waiting. And then the wonderful day of her birth came and the waiting was over. Fast-forward two months and we’ve heard, “She’s still not sleeping very well. Sometimes we just wait for the sun to come up. When the light comes everything is better.”
What are you waiting for? When have you longed for the dawn? Waiting – for all kinds of things – is part of our human condition, isn’t it? We wait for longed for events, for births, spring-time, reunions, and promotions. We also wait for test results, an illness to pass, for a loved one’s forgiveness, for conflict resolution, for the gentle death of an aged love one. When will the dawn come?
The Bible is rich in stories of waiting: Noah and Mrs. Noah wait for the flood waters to recede. Abraham and Sarah wait for the promised heir. Moses and the people Israel wait for wilderness wanderings to be over. God’s people in exile wait to go home. Israel waits for a Messiah.
Not very long before Jesus was born, these words of promise were sung and later recorded in the Gospel of Luke:
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79.
In Jesus’ birth, the light has dawned. In his death and resurrection, we have been given an eternal hope – even as we still wait and lean into the future.
As we enter this season of Advent, we invite you to wait together in community. Worship together on Sunday mornings and Wednesdays for Holden Evening Prayer. Pick up a copy of our all-congregation read, Simply Wait, and gather Wednesday evenings (December 2, 9, and 16 at 5:30 pm) or Sunday mornings (December 6, 13, and 20 between services) as we reflect on four “waiting” words: Anticipation, Hope, Patience and Obedience.
In this breathless race from Thanksgiving to Christmas, may you slow down and simply wait. Wait in quiet to notice God’s kingdom already here. Wait in trust that the dawn has broken. God is with us now and forever.
Katherine Eisele, Associate in Ministry