Monday, November 28, 2022

Expectantly


'Tis the season for waiting.

For waiting in long lines in the mall and in the post office and in the grocery store. For waiting for the gifts you ordered on-line to be delivered, and for hoping they make it here in time for Christmas. For waiting until the Christmas break begins and there will be no school for a couple of weeks. For waiting for the family to arrive to celebrate together.  

Interestingly, many times in recent days I have been confronted with verses from Scripture about waiting! It was not intentional on my part. I was not looking for Scriptures about waiting. Here’s just one example:

"You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long."  (Psalm 25:5 ESV)

It's the season of waiting in another sense as well. It's the season of Advent, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

As I said in my last post, I didn't grow up in a church that marked the Advent season. It wasn't part of my church's tradition to light the candles in the Advent wreath or to have special advent readings. As I've grown older, and as we've moved around the country quite a bit, I've come to embrace this tradition. But whether or not you have a wreath with candles to be lit, Advent - the time of expectant waiting - can be an important part of your Christmas celebrations.

Advent is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Coming, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Coming. This makes Advent far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. Advent is about looking back at Christ's birth, but also looking forward to His return.

In between, Advent is about an awareness of His presence in the world today. And, on a more personal level, it's about an awareness of His presence in our own lives. About listening for that "still, small voice".  About hearing Him speak through the Scriptures. About paying attention. About focusing on Jesus.

A popular Advent hymn is Charles Wesley's Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, which looks forward to Jesus' Second Coming.  It begins, "Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free."  Wesley was looking forward to the time when Jesus would come again to set us free from fear and sin.

What are you looking forward to this Christmas season?  In this Advent season, this season of anticipation and waiting, what are you expecting?  What is your focus?  

In this holiday season, it's really easy for us to get stressed. There's so much to do. Cookie baking, decorating, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to attend. It can be exhausting! 

How do we avoid the stress and exhaustion? It really is a matter of focus. Of remembering why we do these things. Of learning to wait. Of waiting expectantly. Of keeping eyes fixed on Jesus, as the writer of Hebrews tells us in Chapter 12.  

It's a matter of focusing on the long-expected Jesus. The One whose birth was foretold by prophets hundreds of years before it actually happened. The One whose return is also foretold. The One for whom we are eagerly, expectantly, waiting. The Hope of the world.

He's coming again. And until then, we wait. Expectantly.

"Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."  (Titus 2:13 ESV)

 
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.
 
Born Thy people to deliver, Born a Child and yet a King.
Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
(Words:  Charles Wesley; Tune:  HYFRYDOL, Rowland H. Prichard)
 
 
 



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