Last Sunday, the Christian Church started a new year of worship with great Anticipation. While so many were shopping and feasting on a huge thanksgiving meal, the Christian Church prepared its Sanctuary with the adornments and lights that signal something is about to happen. With great expectation, a wreath with four purple candles and one big white candle in the middle was prepared. Wreaths of evergreen and lights of all colors filled the place of worship in preparation of the great event, the coming of the Messiah. This season is a celebration of the coming of Emmanuel or God's presence in the form of a child we all know as Jesus. Although no one actually knows the actual birthdate of Jesus, this season is more than a birthday celebration. It is a reminder of God's love.
This season is about waiting.....waiting.....and more waiting. Patience is not a virtue for many, for patience requires us to believe or trust that we anticipate will actually happen. Sari held on as long as she could, but she finally gave up and gave Hagar to Abraham hoping that this would fulfill God's promise for an heir. Sari's impatience brought Ishmael into the world. When Sari finally became pregnant when she was old, God fulfilled God's promise. Sari's choice soon led to her jealousy of Hagar, her servant and Ishmael, Hagar's son. Abraham was forced to send Hagar and Ishmael out into the desert. Impatience leads to choices that can and will complicate life to the point we lose the joy, the peace, the unconditional love, and the gift of life that God gives even in the midst of hatred, bitterness, wrath, and murder.
This season is about remembering. Jesus left us with promise that someday Jesus would return just like Jesus left. So this season is more about waiting with anticipation as we remember God's promise. In the midst of the gift buying, the calls to say Merry Christmas, and the traditions of this Holiday Season, let us learn the lesson of Sari....wait patiently knowing that God keeps God's Word. Let's not grow impatient and work out the details for God, let's use this season as a time to remember God's promises.
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