Waiting Comes Before Rejoicing
We are always waiting for something: waiting on the bus, waiting for our Amazon package, waiting for our spot in line, waiting for the baby to come, waiting for our promotion, waiting to graduate, waiting for Friday, waiting for vacation, waiting for that concert. As we all know in these few days before Christmas, we wait for the magic of Christmas Eve or Christmas morning (or maybe instead for the festivities and stress to be over). And then what happens when whatever we’re waiting for comes, when it passes, when it’s gone? We begin waiting for something else. All of life is a waiting game; we are always stuck in the meantime, so it feels.
As Christians, our lives are marked by a different kind of waiting. We are waiting for Jesus to make His return. We are waiting for Jesus’ second coming to restore the world and His people to fullness. Revelation 21:4 (ESV) says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Do you cling tightly to these words like I do? Do you think, “yes, please God, it could not come soon enough”?
Our waiting doesn’t need to be fearful, impatient, or dull, though it can be easy to let this happen. (Thank you, human nature.) I always think of Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) in reference to biblical waiting: “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord.” I heard once long ago during a teaching of this passage that as Christians our waiting is to be active, not passive. Charles Spurgeon said, “Wait at his door with prayer; wait at his foot with humility; wait at his table with service; wait at his window with expectancy” (Guzik, 2023). This is what it means to wait as followers of Jesus.
So here we are towards the end of Advent, deep in the waiting. Our waiting during this season is two-fold. We are always waiting for the Second Coming of Christ, but we are also to place ourselves in the narrative of the Christmas story, waiting with those who have been waiting for hundreds upon hundreds of years for the first coming of the Messiah. Tish Harrison Warren says in her book Advent: The Season of Hope, “It is a deeply paradoxical season, at once past, present, and future. Ancient yet urgent… Advent is a way to reach toward timelessness through time itself. It is a season marked by days and weeks, yet through it we enter into the eternal story of God and God’s work on Earth” (Warren & Pagán, 2023).
As Christians we are a part of a bigger and grander story than that of our own lives. We are a part of God’s story, and the global church’s story. Our lives aren’t only about the here and now, they are about the ancient past and glorious future. This is because Jesus exists in all of them; our faith is built upon the past coming of Christ, is nurtured through the present Holy Spirit, and holds fast to the future coming of Christ. While Christmas is joyful and bright and celebratory, we must first find ourselves in the eager and dire waiting of our millenniums old brothers and sisters before Christ. This is where the Christmas season begins: in the waiting, in the womb, in darkness. It is important to actively put ourselves here before the celebration of the joyous birth of Christ. Year after year we place ourselves into the joy of the angels singing, the shepherds flocking, the mother treasuring, the animals gathering, the star shining on Christmas Day. Do we place ourselves similarly – narratively and actively – into the darkness and waiting that preceded Him? Just like forgiveness begins with repentance, just like the gratitude of grace begins with the mourning of sin, just like Good Friday comes before Resurrection Sunday, the celebration of the birth of the Light of the World begins in remembering the darkness that precedes it. Luke 1:78- 79 (CSB) says, “Because of our God’s merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Jesus is the dawn from on high, breaking through the dark of night to shine upon us with love and eternal peace.
December is a physically dark month. The sun doesn’t rise until long past 6 am and it is hidden behind the western horizon not even 12 hours later, leaving us all complaining about the 4 pm darkness. There is little in life I love more than waking up before sunrise. I love watching dawn slowly stretch its tired limbs into astronomical twilight – sometimes with hues of pale yellow, sometimes cotton candy pink, sometimes too beautiful and complicated of a color to even put words to. I love watching the very first sight of sunlight bleed onto the horizon – gold and blinding. There is no light like these few moments each day. In winter when light is a delicacy, I love watching the sunrise more than any time of year. In my own practice of Advent, it holds an even more special purpose. It is a daily image of the “the dawn from on high” coming down to meet me in the utter darkness of night. The hours of the morning where all is still hidden in darkness, where streetlights and stars strain to bring small glimmers of light, I actively imagine the waiting. I put myself in the B.C. I examine my sinful position. I remember that this is where I was before Jesus – in darkness. And once the light of day starts creeping over the horizon, I remember that this is Jesus. I don’t stop or stay in the mourning but transition into a time of gratitude and praise; He is Emmanuel, Light of the World, Prince of Peace, and He came for me. He came for you. So how do we respond? We take moments to pause, to reflect, to remember, and to praise. We wait actively.
Christmas is a busy and overwhelming time. It’s also a merry and bright time. Maybe you find yourself leaning towards happiness, singing Christmas songs, picking out specific gifts for your loved ones, receiving Christmas cards, and going to look at lights with unending enthusiasm. Maybe you lost a loved one this year and you are feeling extra heartbroken under Christmas lights that have lost their shine; maybe you’re simply stressed by the unending to-do lists and just want it all to be over. It’s easy to lose sight of what Christmas is about. It is about hope taking the form of flesh and the beginning of the end of death. It is the beginning of the end of all pain, all stress, all tears, all perceived shortcomings, all disappointment, all loss. It is about Jesus’ first coming, and we must begin and end here. There is nothing wrong with merriment, but if we idolize a red and green Christmas and place it above the reason we celebrate in the first place, then we miss an even greater joy: living through the lens of Jesus’ ongoing story. It is a story that is active and present, that was fulfilled and waited upon, that is so much bigger than ourselves. We miss an opportunity to recenter our lives on what we are currently waiting for: the Second Coming of Christ.
So, what are some ways to practically and intentionally put ourselves in the B.C. sort of waiting this year before Christmas? One way is to take a physical symbol of light and darkness (such as the sunrise or a daily lighting of your Christmas tree or candles) and take time to place yourself in the waiting before Christ, ask Him to give you active faith and patience in the waiting, and thank Him for the light He is and the light He brings. Another is to take time to read Scripture pertaining to the life and coming of Christ. There are many prayers and liturgies already written (that are easy to find online or in books such as The Book of Common Prayer and Every Moment Holy). It is refreshing to make liturgy a part of your spiritual practices. Praying through liturgies which have been brought to the ears of Christ for centuries by our brothers and sisters are a peaceful way to reorient the heart to the Spirit. If you find yourself waiting in line at the grocery store, restaurant, or school drop off, instead of rushing to your phone screen, maybe sit in silence (at least your own mental silence if not environmental) and refocus your mind on the Holy Spirit through prayer or Scripture.
So we wait for Jesus to be born. We wait through the contractions and labor and pain; we wait through the darkness. We wait through the heartbreak and danger. Then, in His coming, we celebrate and dance and praise. We worship God for Jesus who was and is the Light of the World. We rejoice! And then, we wait for our returning King. As John Trapp said, “Many of his promises bear a long date; but they are sure and infallible. Wait, therefore” (Guzik, 2023).
Helpful Resources on Advent and Liturgy:
A link for some Liturgies of Advent: https://www.keepingadvent.com/liturgies
The Book of Common Prayer
Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Advent: The Season of Hope by Tish Harrison Warren from The Fullness of Time Series (this is a short, incredible, very helpful book when it comes to understanding the importance of Advent; there are also books about different events in the church year, such as Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and Epiphany)
References:
Warren, H. T., & Pagán, J. W. (2023). Advent: The season of hope (Ser. Fullness of Time series). IVP, an imprint of InterVarsity Press.
Guzik, D. (2023, October 13). Enduring word bible commentary psalm 27. Enduring Word. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-27/