Hi Everyone,
I am notoriously impatient and rubbish at waiting. Whenever we order a takeaway I am watching the clock from the moment the order goes through. As soon as it hits the time that our food is supposed to be delivered, if it hasn’t arrived, I start to get a bit edgy. “Why isn’t it here?”, “This is terrible service!”, “I’m never using them again!”, "Maybe we should call them and find out where they are.” There is very little grace or understanding in my attitude to waiting and yet waiting is exactly what we are called to in this season of Advent.
On Sunday evening we thought a bit about waiting and as we looked at Psalm 27:13 - 14
“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Christian waiting is a bit different to me waiting for my takeaway because we are waiting for someone who can be completely relied upon to keep his promise. I don’t know if the takeaway delivery driver will turn up on time or even at all. I don’t know whether they will bring the right stuff or whether the food will still be hot or whether it will definitely taste good (I’m sure most of us have experienced a disappointing takeaway at some point). The type of waiting we undertake in Advent is a hopeful and joyful wait because we can trust in God’s love, his faithfulness, his goodness and that he will do exactly what he says he will.
In some ways it is easy to wait in Advent because we know that Christmas is coming and we know exactly when it is coming. Waiting for some of the more tricky stuff, like all the funds to be raised for our Refurb:Building Lives project or perhaps one of those prayers that we hung on our Christmas tree on Sunday, can be much harder. Yet the message is the same - be strong and courageous and wait for the Lord with faith in his goodness.
Have a great rest of the week whatever you are doing.
With love,
Jess
P.S. Don’t forget our festive film at 2:30pm in church in Saturday afternoon!
I am notoriously impatient and rubbish at waiting. Whenever we order a takeaway I am watching the clock from the moment the order goes through. As soon as it hits the time that our food is supposed to be delivered, if it hasn’t arrived, I start to get a bit edgy. “Why isn’t it here?”, “This is terrible service!”, “I’m never using them again!”, "Maybe we should call them and find out where they are.” There is very little grace or understanding in my attitude to waiting and yet waiting is exactly what we are called to in this season of Advent.
On Sunday evening we thought a bit about waiting and as we looked at Psalm 27:13 - 14
“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Christian waiting is a bit different to me waiting for my takeaway because we are waiting for someone who can be completely relied upon to keep his promise. I don’t know if the takeaway delivery driver will turn up on time or even at all. I don’t know whether they will bring the right stuff or whether the food will still be hot or whether it will definitely taste good (I’m sure most of us have experienced a disappointing takeaway at some point). The type of waiting we undertake in Advent is a hopeful and joyful wait because we can trust in God’s love, his faithfulness, his goodness and that he will do exactly what he says he will.
In some ways it is easy to wait in Advent because we know that Christmas is coming and we know exactly when it is coming. Waiting for some of the more tricky stuff, like all the funds to be raised for our Refurb:Building Lives project or perhaps one of those prayers that we hung on our Christmas tree on Sunday, can be much harder. Yet the message is the same - be strong and courageous and wait for the Lord with faith in his goodness.
Have a great rest of the week whatever you are doing.
With love,
Jess
P.S. Don’t forget our festive film at 2:30pm in church in Saturday afternoon!