Hurry Up and Wait
It is a phrase attributed to the military. Mention “hurry up and wait” to anyone who has served in the armed forces, and they will agree. We would hurry up to prepare for a deployment and then wait…and wait, and wait for the orders to go. Hurry up and prepare for this mission! And then came the painful wait for it to actually begin.
“Hurry up” is a characteristic of our culture. With the aid of technology, we have made waiting a thing of the past. Order an item on Amazon and you might have it the same day. A trip to the grocery store can result in pre-made meals that don’t even need a microwave. Stores are filled with Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving! There are fewer reasons to wait and our ability to be patient is the victim.
Advent, however, is a season grounded in waiting. Consider the words of Job (believed to be the oldest writing in our Bible), written around 1,800 BCE. “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” Jesus arrived nearly 2,000 years later, and now another 2,000 years later, we await His coming again. That’s hardly a quick turn-around.
In our world of hurry up, we are challenged to slow down and wait…to appreciate the here and now and to be grateful. We cannot change the past. The future is out of our control. Living in the present, let us be fully present in trusting God’s future and living lives of loving hospitality, generosity, humility, and grace.
I pray that you, your families, and the faith community of Lord of Grace will be blessed in our waiting as we seek to faithfully follow the coming Christ Child.
Peace,
Pastor Randy