Wait for it…

We are waiting for the snow.  The forecasters are so sure about it that schools closed last night, appointments have been changed, schedules disrupted.  But so far, no snow.  We wait.

On one hand, it is kind of annoying – having to wait.  Wouldn’t we all rather wake up to see the 5 inches of snow already instead of trying to outwit things.  “Do I go in to work, only to have difficulty getting home?” “Do I cancel that Doctor’s appointment?”  “Do I…?”

And we wait.

It’s not like I don’t have enough to do, in fact I brought home plenty of work.  There is Lenten worship planning, a book study to begin with the Session, upcoming Sunday school lessons, the Safety Team, and lots more that needs to be done.  My wife and daughter also have plenty of work to do.  We are well prepared for the storm.

But we wait.

It seems like people wait a lot in life.  We wait for something to happen to move us forward.  We wait for test results.  We wait for appointments.  We wait in the waiting room for those appointments.  We wait for the next cashier to check us out.  We wait.

And waiting can sometimes be uncomfortable.  But we must face the wait with patience and grace.

The rhythm of the church year is similarly filled with waiting.  The church year begins with Advent, a season of waiting for the celebration of the birth of the Messiah, and a recognition of our wait for His return.    We wait for the great Christmas celebration, and then we wait until Epiphany to take down decorations.

And we are about to enter into another period of waiting, Lent.  Lent is a time of penitence, a reminder of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.  During Lent many give up something (and wait for Easter to take it back up again).  Others spend extra time in prayer and bible study.  Lent can be a time of waiting – until we reach Holy Week with the Triumphant Entry, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the real wait – the sometimes painful wait from Friday until Easter Sunday and the celebration of the Resurrection.

Holy Week can be a reminder of our own lives – times of celebration, times of sadness, times of death, and then that time when we stand before God face to face.  For that we wait.  With hope and expectation.

Today, as you wait for the snow to begin, as you do whatever you need to do, take a moment in prayer and meditation.  Consider everything God has blessed you with, including those things worth waiting for.

Peace,

Bill