Waiting

Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting to celebrate the first coming of Christ and reflecting on our wait for his second coming.

Waiting is a common experience; one that used to characterise the British as we were known for our ability to wait patiently in queues. Now that would seem to have changed, as adverts claim that impatience is a virtue.

Reflect for a few moments on the spiritual significance of waiting through the use of two meditations. The first, by Alan Stewart, simply lists some of our common experiences of waiting:

Waiting

Waiting for news
News you long for
News you fear
Waiting for answers

Waiting to rejoice
With tears of laughter
Tears of regret
Waiting to grieve

Waiting to remember
Waiting to forget

Waiting to greet
or to say goodbye
Waiting to embrace
or to push away

Waiting to feel
Waiting not to feel

Waiting in emptiness
Waiting in pain
In discomfort
In anger
Waiting in shame

Waiting to heal
Waiting to destroy

Tired of waiting
Inspired by waiting
Frustrated by waiting
Elated by waiting

Waiting for a beginning
Waiting for an end

Waiting for birth
Waiting for death
For growing up
For growing old
Waiting for growing helpless

Waiting for marriage
Waiting to break-up

Waiting to work
Waiting to rest

Waiting for rain
Waiting in the rain

Waiting for harvest
Waiting for justice

Waiting for gunfire
for a knock at the door
For freedom
For sanctuary
For sanity

Waiting alone
Waiting together

Waiting for God
And in the waiting
God waits
With us.

So, God is with us in our waiting. That is the first thing for us to realise and sense. It is something that we see both in the Christmas story and in the wider story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection:

Waiting

Waiting.
Elizabeth waiting years for the conception of a child.

Waiting.
Mary waiting nine months for the birth of God’s son.

Waiting.
Simeon waiting to see the salvation of Israel.

Waiting.
Eastern visitors following a star, waiting to worship the baby born King of the Jews.

Waiting.
Joseph and Mary living in Egypt waiting for the death of Herod.

Waiting.
Jesus working and waiting for his ministry to begin.

Waiting.
Jesus tempted and waiting for his ministry to begin.

Waiting.
Disciples asking, “when will this be?”, and waiting for fulfilment.

Waiting.
Jesus waiting in prayer at Gethsemene, his disciples sleeping, unable to wait with him.

Waiting.
Mary weeping at the foot of the cross and waiting for death.

Waiting.
Jesus in the tomb, waiting for the third day.

Waiting.
Disciples, fearful and hopeless, gathered together behind locked doors and waiting.

Waiting.
Disciples waiting in Jerusalem for baptism by the Holy Spirit.

Waiting.
Church waiting for the kingdom coming through the return of the King.

Love waits.
Birth waits.
New life waits.
Revelation waits.
God waits.

Waiting.
Waiting for human response.
Waiting.
Never demanding or compelling.
Waiting.
Needing, but never seeking, our recognition.
Waiting.
Only complete once we have received.

Why are we waiting? Why does God wait? The answer that the Bible seems to give is that he is waiting for us to respond to him. W. H. Vanstone wrote in Love's Endeavour, Love's Expense: “So it is with the love of God. For the completion of its work, and therefore its own triumph, it must wait upon the understanding of those who receive it. The love of God must wait for the recognition of those who have power to recognise … Recognition of the love of God involves, as it were, the forging of an offering: the offering is the coming-to-be of understanding: only where this understanding has come to be has love conveyed its richest blessing and completed its work in triumph.”

God waits for us; waits for our recognition, understanding and response to his love. So, let us make it our aim and prayer this Advent to see him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly day by day.

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Bob Marley - Waiting In Vain.