Isaiah 60:19-20

"The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days or mourning shall be ended."

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

Advent is a season devoted to waiting.  It is a time when we celebrate waiting, honor those who waited for the coming of the Messiah, and seek to learn something about how we might join them in waiting for the Spirit of Christ to be born again in our midst.  But waiting is difficult for most of us.  In this era of instant gratification, as the world is put in fast forward, even our limited capacity to wait has diminished still further.  It seems as if, among all the things we no longer have time for, we no longer have time to wait. 

As challenging as it can be to wait, however, certainly it is preferable to the alternative.  Those who have ceased to wait generally are those who live without hope.  When all that you see around you is all there is to be, then there is no need to wait.  But there is also no hope of progress, movement, revelation or transformation.  To wait is to be open to the future.  To wait is to be open to God.

Prayer

God, you know that I can find it challenging to wait.  So teach my heart to wait.  Or, to put it another way, please give me the gift of hope.  Amen.

About the Author Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is the author, with Lillian Daniel, of This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers.

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