The prophecy of Isaiah, talks about a future Jerusalem, a future society. It tells us of a wonderful peaceful future. When instruments of war will be converted to instruments of farming. When God will remove all sin that causes war, conflict, and disruption. When God’s law will not only be known, but obeyed.

Picture in your mind, the family of the future, where every child at every age, does exactly what Mom and Dad asked of them. Add to that vision, that it was done with a willing and joyful spirit, without any fuss, without any harsh words, without any whining. There will be no, ‘but Dad’, or ‘Mom do I have to?’ It would seem that it is a future well worth waiting for.

There is the problem, waiting. The plain and simple truth is that we do not like to wait for anything, anybody, not even God. Waiting seems to evoke feelings of powerlessness, unimportance, fear, anxiety. Whether we are waiting for a traffic light to change, for a child to be born, for a plane to arrive, waiting for the required time to pass for healing, waiting doesn’t come easy.

A couple of months ago Doug and Judy couldn’t wait until Cole was born. If they are like most parents, now they can’t wait until he sleeps through the night, holds his own bottle, begins to crawl, starts to walk. By the time he is 2, they will not be able to wait to get him into nursery school. Regardless of what stage of development children are in, most parents are anxiously waiting the next stage.

Parents aren’t the only people who wait. Recently, I was waiting with Diane in a doctors office. There were 3 other patients in the waiting room. One of them asked the time. It was 5:15 p.m.. The person who asked then commented, ‘I had a 3:45 appointment.’ She no sooner got those words out of her mouth and the other 2 patients eagerly shared their waiting room war stories. ‘I once had to wait 2 hours,’ commented one. ‘You think that’s bad,’ said the other ‘I had to wait.....

All of their complaining didn’t do anything. When they finished they still had to wait their turn. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that I am overjoyed with waiting. However, as I have gotten older, I have reached the conclusion that complaining and moaning and groaning, doesn’t make the time go by faster. It certainly doesn’t make you feel better about waiting. About the only thing it does do, it puts you in a bad mood.

Today the church enters the season of Advent. Advent is a season about waiting for Christmas. Will your waiting for Christmas, put you in a bad mood OR will it bring you comfort and joy?

Advent, does more than just provide us with a time to wait. Advent provides us with an opportunity to choose. To choose how we prepare, how we wait, how we accept this gift of God’s love in Christ Jesus.

Advent asks you to choose an attitude for the season.

Will you wait with grace, like Mary? Will you remain calm, trusting God’s love to keep us and care for us? Will you turn to God in prayer and thanksgiving, believe the good news of Jesus birth?

Will you ponder the promises of God spoken in the prophets? Will you watch and seek the presence of God in your preparations and parties? Will you pray for open eyes, open minds, and open hearts, that God may grant you new understanding so you may recognize and realize what it means to trust and believe in God.

Will you reflect and contemplate the meaning of Jesus birth for you? Will you take inventory, not of the stores Christmas gifts, but an inventory of your spiritual life? Will you clear out the cobwebs in your spiritual attics and closets, so that the light of Jesus birth may shine in the dark corners of your life? Will you make room in your life for the Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace to be born within you?

Advent is more than waiting. Advent is an invitation,

"Come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord!"

Advent invites us to not just hear promises of future peace and joy, but to prepare to receive it. Advent is an invitation to proclaim with humans and angel, "God is coming." God is coming this Advent. It is up to you to prepare the Way!

Advent invites you to prepare the way, to get in step with God, to walk the pilgrims path of hope and promise. This is a season of good news. It may seem like old news to us. But many have never heard the message. Many have heard the message but still find it hard to live as if it makes a difference.

As you count the days on your Advent calendar or read from your daily Advent devotional, do not lose sight of their meaning. Accept the gift of waiting that Advent offers you, as a gift of preparation.

As you wait: in traffic, recall Christmas memories;

On long lines in the mall, listen to the music of the carols lost among the noise and complaint of shoppers;

For scheduled appointments, address Christmas cards or read a Christmas story.

As you wait this Advent, may you see clearly that you wait for God. Know who you are waiting for. May you discover God’s presence and promises revealed in your midst. As you wait, remember God’s invitation,

"Come, let us walk in the
light of the Lord!"

Amen

Past Sermons