Hope and Waiting

Flurries of activity. Flurries of snow. Flurries of cars in traffic, stop and go.

Town is buzzing with excitement. The ski hill opens tomorrow.

A white Christmas is coming.

In the midst of chaotic retail stores, busy families, sweater parties, consumption of cookies and winter sports sliding into their familiar groove; there is more than what meets the eye during this season called Advent.

You might say the tradition of frantic frenzy traces its ancestors to the weeks before Jesus' birth.

We find ourselves in that time, that frame of mind, once again. Looking forward to the arrival of Jesus Christ - God in human flesh - bringing grace and truth, holiness and hope, joy and peace to this crazy world.

This is a time of hopeful anticipation. A time of waiting for Christ to come.

In the book of Lamentations (not your typical, cheery Christmas type text) we see the heart of Advent.

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." 

-Lam. 3:26

I didn't just stumble upon this in my quest for good Advent content. Rather, I was reading an old book - one that smelled of dust, cheap shelving, and senior citizens who went to Seminary before my parents were born.

In this old book, I read some thoughts from George Matheson in response to this portion of lament ...

"Hope is a state of flight; waiting implies repose. Hope is the soul on the wing; waiting is the soul in the nest. Hope is the eagerness of expectancy; waiting is a condition of placid calm." 

I read this a week ago and over the last seven days these words of lament and this statement concerning hope and waiting have stuck with me while contemplating what Advent is meant to be.

Those Latin words which give us so many English words intrigue me. One particularly intriguing word is  adventus which is basically the grandpa word to Advent. It's also grandpa to the word adventure.

Adventure flows through the veins of discipleship. Following Jesus is a process of hope and waiting.

So during this flurried state of snow, retail madness, crazy schedules and family time - consider the fact that Jesus is coming again. We are living in Advent twelve months of the year.

Hope keeps us going, actively pursuing life.

Waiting teaches us to stop, allows us to listen.

Hope and waiting allow us to embark on the adventure of an eternity!