3rd Week of Advent: WAIT

3rd Week of Advent: WAIT

Our first reading on Sunday was from the prophet Zephaniah and in the passage we heard, he is telling the people of what is to come. He tells them to rejoice and that the Lord will rejoice in them. However, it hasn’t happened yet, they still need to wait. But from this description:
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
It sounds as if this is one event worth waiting for.
How often are we impatient? We just want the answers… now. It’s our impatience that makes Advent so special and also so difficult. Isn’t Christmas what it’s all about? Isn’t the birth of Christ the most important thing? Shouldn’t we want to get there as fast as possible?
The answer is “yes” and “no.” It makes me think of a quote from Star Wars: The Last Jedi: “This is not going to go the way you think.” If we are so focused on where we’re going then we miss the journey. If we have grand pictures of how we think things will be then we set ourselves up for disappointment (who would’ve have thought that the Savior, the Messiah, the Christ would have showed up as an infant?).
So this Advent: WAIT. Don’t get caught up in what you think Christmas should be. Enjoy the journey. Be patient. Prepare your heart.
Be well,
Kristyn Russell