What are you waiting for?? Have you ever heard those words being spoken to you?? As a child, a youth, or an adult…have those words ever been directed toward you? I can say I’ve heard those words in the past, and the truth is I still hear those same words coming my way from time to time. You see, I don’t make decisions quickly or take them lightly. I tend to “ponder” a decision and think about various options. All you need to do is ask Tonya, or Short, or Nancy, my dear wife. They maybe don’t use those exact words, but in their mind, they are thinking them… “What are you waiting for?”
Today I’m asking myself that same question, and no, there is no big decision I am considering. I’m truly asking myself this question… “What am I waiting for?” … because we are in the season of Advent. You see, Advent is often viewed as a season of waiting or preparation. The Latin word Adventus is what we get our word Advent from, which means “coming, arrival, or appearance. So, the “waiting” comes in because of our response to the coming or arrival of some significant person, which is how the word Adventus was mostly used, that of waiting and making preparations for some distinguished guest to arrive.
So, it is fitting that often the Advent season of the Church, the four weeks before Christmas, is often a time of decorating, baking, writing, organizing, and doing all sorts of things to get ready for Christmas, which celebrates the arrival of the King of Kings, Jesus. But most of our preparing or waiting in this season isn’t of a spiritual nature in which we consider what we need to do to prepare our lives today for Jesus to be welcomed more fully into our lives now. Thus, the question…What am I waiting for?
In days past, the question would be asked, what can we (as individuals and as a community) do to make the coming dignitary feel welcomed and honored as they arrive in our community. So, bringing that question to today, what can I / we do to make Jesus feel welcomed and honored as he/she arrives in our community?
So, I guess the response to my question of “What am I waiting for?” is that I am waiting for some sense of direction of what I need to do in this season to open my life up more to make Jesus a greater part of my life. This question requires some intentional thinking and reflection. This isn’t just a quick… “Oh, I’ll read the Bible a little more.” Or “I’ll ring the bell a day or two for the Salvation Army at a local store. And there is nothing wrong with either of those activities. If after prayerful conversation with God, that is what you feel led to do, go for it! Just don’t make them an easy out.
Our world and culture are not very supportive of quiet reflection. We are bombarded with noise and activity more and more each day. We all talk about how busy this season is and how we are always on the run. But Advent does call us to pause and give some intentional thought to what we can do to be better prepared now to welcome and honor the greatest guest into our homes and lives on Christmas Day – that of Jesus.
During the days building up to Christmas…starting today…if you haven’t done so already, I encourage us all to ask the question I started this reflection with, “What am I waiting for?” Please don’t rush by it. Don’t answer it too quickly. Make some space for silence and quiet during the next couple weeks, and truly ponder this question – What am I waiting for? Remember, the King of Kings has come…but is also in the process of coming more fully in our lives daily. And we await the true King’s final arrival in days yet to come. What am I waiting for?? Yes, let me ponder that for a bit!
Pastor Keith