By: John A Jones IV, Associate Regional Minister – Education
And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7
December is always a special time of year. The holidays shape almost everything we do. I’m sure we remember saying or hearing someone say “I can’t wait until Christmas” at some point in our childhood.
The season of Advent is all about expectations and waiting. We’re waiting for a special blessing, a glorious celebration, a sacred hope. Christmas is the celebration of the miracle of the incarnation: God becomes flesh. And when this miracle (or this gift) is so precious, so great, waiting with patience is not easy. Try telling an expectant mother who is 8 ½ months pregnant to be “patient.” That tension between expecting the precious gift and patient waiting is what this season is all about.
While we wait, we are called to be active participants in God’s work and present to those who are hurting. With the social and political turmoil of late, it’s easy to get discouraged and tired. Injustice and the intentional infliction of suffering on our brothers and sisters leave us hopeless and angry. Frankly, I’ve been more tired and mad lately than I have been in a while.
But as people of faith and people of hope, we have confidence in the eventual prevail of justice and truth. Our hope is in the God who became feeble, weak, human flesh. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who will bind up the wounded, heal the sick, and feed the hungry. And Our hope is in the love that gives itself away. It’s coming, and I want to work for it. But I also know that I must be patient in that hope.
In this season of Advent, be radical, even subversive, in your hopeful expectation.