Watching and Waiting

Advent 1

How was Thanksgiving for you this year? Did you feel thankful, or was it a day to forget about the past year, eating yourself into a food coma and watching TV on the couch?

It’s hard to believe that we have been enduring the pandemic for almost nine months now. I remember those first days, of rumors about this new virus, thinking it would be like past ones, something to hear about in the news but not really affecting our daily lives. But then things starting shutting down, schools were closed, and we still thought it would just be for a short time. Then it dragged on and on, with a multitude of other things that in any other year would have been traumatic on their own: the killing of George Floyd and others and the resulting protests, a contentious election year, even a very active hurricane season, which was remarkable in itself but overshadowed by everything else. Most of us would probably agree that nothing in our lifetimes has touched so many aspects of life as the pandemic has, especially those of us who are not old enough to remember WWII. In some way or other, regardless of our views on how we should respond to it all, it has touched each of us, and has changed our world forever. Even if we have things to be thankful for, at times they get overwhelmed by all of the bad things we have had to endure this year. But at least with the pandemic, we share the hardships of 2020 with just about everyone on earth. Perhaps that is little comfort, but we are all in this together, and can find a sense of unity in that struggle, even if we can’t agree on anything else.

I noticed a strange thing over the past few months, something that others I have talked to have agreed with. With us under lock-down at times and even when we’re not, with social distancing, changes at work or time off from work, with plenty of time on our hands, it seems like I have lost a sense of the passing of time. The days run together, and it doesn’t really seem like I have much to look forward to, with holidays and events now cancelled or curtailed. Advent always seems to come suddenly as if by surprise, even when planned for, but even just the changing of the seasons came as a surprise, for I didn’t really notice until after it happened. It was summer, then we had a week or two of smoke from the wildfires, and suddenly the leaves were falling off of the trees. It was kind of like being in Arizona again, when the only indication that it is fall is that one day all of the leaves just fall off of the trees, without the colors you see here. I totally missed the transition this year. Along with all of the other things to worry about, this lack of awareness of seasonal changes, amid so many other things that are on hold, has been a real source of anxiety for me. I need to know that we are progressing, that I am growing, that our world is moving forward to new and better things, but that has all slowed or stopped. At the same time, there was just one bad news story after another, with many of the things we do to reduce stress no longer available, like going to the gym or a restaurant. I don’t consider myself to be a workaholic, but I do need to keep busy, get out of the house and do things, seeing new things and learning new things. This of course has been lessened. As the months pass, I get lazier and less aware, losing my sense of purpose in life.

Hopefully, this Season of Advent will serve as a kick in the pants to get things moving again, perhaps even provide a sense of normalcy, as we start this season. Our current situation hasn’t gotten any better, we are still limited in many ways, but we can remember past holidays with loved ones, and rekindle our hopes for a better world. We need to hear again the stories of Jesus being born under a star, and the promise and hope streaming forth from the manger. Advent is the start of the church year, and we all could use an infusion of joy, hope and love! As we wait for Christmas Day, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we remember that He came into our world 2000 years ago and changed everything. As we remember how He changed our world then, we need to know that He still can change our world today, beginning by transforming our hearts and minds as we enter into this season. We remember again that God came down at Christmas in the form of a baby boy, shining His light into our world. We need to celebrate that again, and reconnect to that light and hope in Christ.

Would anyone like to share what you need from God right now? After a difficult year, what are you waiting for that will mark a new beginning for you? If nothing comes to mind right now, perhaps this should be your homework for the week! What are you watching and waiting for this Advent Season?

So as we wait for Christmas Day, we do more than buy presents and put up decorations, knowing that just about everything will be different and in many ways limited this year, although I bet Gordon’s Christmas decorations will be better than ever! We also prepare our hearts, praying that we will not be limited in our thankfulness for what God did for us on that first Christmas Day. As hard as it may be, we look back on the past year, seek forgiveness where we have failed, celebrate the good things, and pray for the strength and wisdom to enter into a new year. Many of our problems will continue, but we pray for new avenues of growth and faithfulness. As the pandemic has dragged on and worn us down, we have looked for an end to it, a return to how things were. We have watched for news of a vaccine, and for an improvement in the numbers. We keep watching for good news.

Advent is also a time of watching and listening for good news, not only waiting for Christ’s return, but for news of Him working in our world through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we live through this in-between-time, after Jesus was born and before He returns, we know that He is at work in our world, the Spirit is still with us working mighty deeds. But we also know evil is at work too, and satan strives to do as much damage as possible with the time he has left; may it not be much longer! Right now, we need a fresh taste of God’s grace, love, and mercy. Perhaps we hope for something like what we read today in Isaiah:

Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Thy presence--As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil-- to make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Thy presence! When Thou didst awesome things which we did not expect, Thou didst come down, the mountains quaked at Thy presence. (Isa 64:1-3 NAS)

How does that sound? Wouldn’t we all like our world to tremble at God’s presence and for everyone to take notice, especially those who disagree with us! And yet we remember that when He did come down at Christmas, He came as a baby. We might wish for some mighty act that is clear to everyone to see, but God often does unexpected things when we weren’t looking, waiting for us to realize and understand His latest miracle. He continues to be active in our world right now, we just may not be able to see or understand what He is up to. Our job is to wait for Him to further reveal His plan for us and our world, watching for signs of His providence and intervention. Isaiah continues:

For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. Thou dost meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers Thee in Thy ways. Behold, Thou wast angry, for we sinned, we continued in them a long time; and shall we be saved? (Isa 64:4-5)

Advent is a time of waiting, something we often don’t like doing it in our fast-food kind of world. As kids everywhere wait to open their presents on Christmas morning, we yearn for our hearts to be filled with the love of God by the Spirit. We wait to celebrate that greatest of gifts, Jesus our Lord. As we wait, we prepare our hearts to be open to Jesus, “rejoicing in doing righteousness” and remembering God’s ways. As the author of the meditation on the back of the bulletin notes, this is not just something we do as individuals, but something we should all do as one people. How can we do that, when God’s people are just as divided as everyone else? The main way we can do so as a church is to come together in prayer and worship, seeking God’s grace and forgiveness, and singing His praises. As individuals, we pray and study Scripture at home and seek to abide by God’s ordinances for us. But as Isaiah writes:

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. And there is no one who calls on Thy name, who arouses himself to take hold of Thee; for Thou hast hidden Thy face from us, and hast delivered us into the power of our iniquities. (Isa 64:6-7)

Can anyone relate to this? As individuals, our sins usually make us withdraw our hearts from God, as we try to hide from Him. At other times, God may seem to play hide and seek with us, as He tries to draw us to Himself. But through Jesus, He is always ready to accept us again when we confess our sins and seek His forgiveness. We remember that this passage was written before Jesus died on the cross for us, so we may now have a new pathway to God, but the forces of sin and evil have endured and work in the same way they always have, trying to delude us, lead us astray, and destroy us. As followers of Jesus, we must be always watching for the things that distance us from God, for sometimes they start small and innocent but grow into things that interfere with out faith. As we wait for Jesus to return, or for us to go to Him in Heaven, we keep returning to Him to confess our failings, receive His forgiveness, and continue our journey with Him, as individuals and as a people. We submit again to God’s majesty and authority. As Isaiah prays on our behalf:

But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and all of us are the work of Thy hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD, neither remember iniquity forever; behold, look now, all of us are Thy people. (Isa 64:8-9).

With Advent here, we remember the greatest gift ever given to us, Jesus, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Through Him God’s anger is abated, and a love beyond comprehension has entered into our world in the form of a baby boy. Through Him, our sins our forgiven and forgotten, and even during a tough time like right now, we are given hope for a better world and joy in the Spirit to persevere through any hardship. We watch and wait for hints of His presence and mighty power at work in our world, knowing that He is near, preparing our hearts for when He calls us to action. With the Psalmist we pray:

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalm 80:7)

Amen!