Waiting

We are currently in the season of the church year known as Advent. The Advent countdown begins with the four Sundays leading up to Christmas day. Some churches light one candle each week in Advent marking the time as we wait for Christ to come. Advent is all about the waiting. The scriptures talk about the second coming of Christ and how the church waits in anticipation of that event. The story of John the Baptist is told, and how he prepared the way for Christ's public ministry by telling the people to repent while they waited for Christ to come. The stories of Mary, Elizabeth and Joseph are told. And still we wait. We wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to hear of the birth of Christ, and the dawn of a new day of hope and love.We as a people don't like to wait. This year, I was hearing Christmas music on the radio before Halloween - I kid you not! In this day of instant gratification, we want what we want and we want it NOW, so why wait? In fact, I would submit, we've forgotten what it is to wait; especially to wait upon the Lord.
Last Tuesday, my husband was in surgery in CMC Main for 5 hours. The surgery was supposed to take 3 hours. He was in recovery for 3 hours. I was supposed to be able to see him in recovery after 2 hours. After two and a half hours I went to the desk in the waiting room. I chatted with the staff I have seen many, many times in my capacity as a pastor. Only this time, I wasn't there as a pastor. This time it was my John. All day long friends and family were facebooking and tweeting prayers and support for us. I knew we were covered in prayer.
Finally, I told my friend at the desk that my anxiety level was getting a little high. He looked at his little screen and promised to let me know something "soon." I returned to my corner of the waiting room. And I continued to wait. And wait. Finally, I was called up to the desk and told I could go to my husband's room on the 10th floor. Confused, relieved, and exhausted, I gathered my things and headed for the elevators. Finally, after 12 hours, I walked into his room and saw my husband smile at me. The wait was over, and worth every minute to know he was cancer free.
The Hebrew people had waited a long time to be free. Jesus was worth the wait. The prophet Isaiah said "The people who lived in darkness have seek a great light." We can wait, too, for things that are worth it. We can take an extra 30 minutes before leaving the house to pray and get balance for the day. We can wait for God to give us direction before making major decisions in our lives.
We can wait deliberately, creatively, and purposefully. We can make a daily ritual of stopping and waiting to hear the voice of God by lighting and Advent wreath, or creating a home altar, or going on a devotional walk each day.
Because some things are just worth the wait.....