The Sacred Act of Waiting

"Advent offers us a gift of such importance; ...it is not  so much a season as a way of being." Paul Gooder

The sacred act of waiting--that's where we left off last week. And here we are in Advent: four weeks dedicated to what? To waiting!   It's interesting to note how often in Scripture God calls his people to wait:  The Israelites waited 40 days for Moses when he went up to Mount Sinai. Moses himself waited six days for God to speak to him on that same mountain. (Exodus 24) The prophet Isaiah, who foretold the coming of the Messiah, says this:  "...no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." (Is. 64)  The author of Lamentations--probably Jeremiah--speaks these words: "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (Lam. 3)  David says, "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5)  Before Jesus ascended to heaven he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for "...the gift my Father promised," which was the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1) It goes on and on. So what's with all this waiting? Well, I think it depends on how we wait. Waiting is an act in itself.  For those of you who have had children, you know that pregnancy means waiting. But it is such an amazing kind of waiting. It's not the sitting around, twiddling-your-thumbs kind of waiting. It's not a powerless, passive waiting. It is entirely the opposite! It is active waiting that includes much attentiveness, creativity, contemplation, prayer, preparation, hope. It sinks deep into the marrow and heart. It is still--but it is active. The Hebrew word that is often translated "wait" in the Scriptures carries along with it the meaning of "looking eagerly" or to "lie in wait for." It speaks of being an active "lookout" whose sole task is to gaze into the distance and watch for a particular person to come, and then being able to recognize them when they are still just a speck on the horizon.  Active waiting, then, is hope-filled, alert, attentive waiting. It is what Advent is all about. It is what this season is for. "We relearn how to wait," as author Paula Gooder puts it, "...a waiting that rests not in frustration but in stillness; not in frenzied anticipation but in an embracing of the present; ....finding meaning in the act of waiting." Finding meaning in the act of waiting for the Child-King. With you, I wait.... Greg