How do you spend the time when you have to wait? I am thankful that I don’t have to spend very much time in a doctor’s waiting room; but I will admit that when I’ve had to wait for my turn, I have been fascinated by how differently people pass the time.
Some folks seem content to just sit there until their name is called. Others park themselves in front of a television. Some people pull a book or magazine out of their bag and resume their reading. There are usually stacks of magazines lying around for those who didn’t plan ahead. A few folks bring work from home or the office. There are usually a couple of folks who have a friend or family member with them and they spend the time in conversation.
No matter what activity they are using to occupy their time; every time someone comes to the door to call for the next patient, all of them stop what they are doing, look up and listen for their name. No one wants to miss their turn. Each one hopes this is their opportunity to move closer to keeping their appointment.
Advent is a season of waiting. When you have an appointment to see the doctor, it’s pretty clear what you are waiting for. With Advent it’s a little more ambiguous. Are you waiting to see what will be under the tree on Christmas morning? Are you waiting to impress your friends and family with lavish decorations and a sumptuous feast? Or are you waiting for something else?
While Advent begins our season of preparation to celebrate the birth of the Christ child, it also serves as a time to recall that we are still waiting for the triumphant return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus assured his followers that he would return to establish his kingdom. Jesus also urged them to live in eager anticipation of his return. Jesus did not want anyone to miss out, so he urged them all to stay alert.
There are a lot of different ways you might spend this season of Advent. Some of you may choose to spend time in silence listening for God’s voice. Some may choose to read passages from the Bible that speak of God’s plan and purposes for the world. You may find the writings of others who lead you to discover the deep truths of God.
However you choose to spend this time of waiting, I pray that you will make room in your life to focus on the hope we have in Christ. May this be a season when you hear God call your name. May you realize your opportunity to move closer to God.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Who’s in Charge?
Most people manage life pretty well as long as most things happen the way they expect them to. The alarm clock works. There is cream for the coffee. The car starts. Even if the traffic into work is not what you would prefer, after a while you get used to it and find ways to make the most of the ride.
Even the slightest variation can throw you off, though. If the power goes off for a few minutes during the night . . . . If someone puts an empty carton back in the fridge . . . . If all you hear is a “click, click, click” when you turn the key in the ignition . . . . If there’s a fender bender (even if you’re not involved in the actual collision), it can leave you feel out of control.
Now if something really significant and unexpected happens, it calls on a whole new set of coping skills. Unfortunately, it seems that these kinds of events are occurring more frequently each day. World markets fluctuate wildly making it difficult, if not impossible, to feel confident about saving for the future. Political leaders—at home and abroad—seem intent on placing blame than on fixing the problems governments face. Even the weather seems to have become more unpredictable.
On a more personal level, “downsizing” and “underemployment” are terms that feel much more threatening now than they did a couple of years ago. You find yourself at the funeral home much more often than you would have expected. As people make accusations and raise questions about the behavior of venerable public figures, you find yourself asking, “Who can I trust?”
It is exactly in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that it is important to recall who is in charge of your life—and your destiny. The people who were living in Ephesus in the first century were experiencing greater and greater uncertainty. In the midst of their anxiety, Paul prays that they will remember “the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him,” and “the authority of Christ”—who is “far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come” (cf. Ephesians 1:19-21).
The world can seem mighty scary at times. The uncertainty can threaten to disable us. As we gather as a community of faith, let us join with Paul and pray for one another, “that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
Even the slightest variation can throw you off, though. If the power goes off for a few minutes during the night . . . . If someone puts an empty carton back in the fridge . . . . If all you hear is a “click, click, click” when you turn the key in the ignition . . . . If there’s a fender bender (even if you’re not involved in the actual collision), it can leave you feel out of control.
Now if something really significant and unexpected happens, it calls on a whole new set of coping skills. Unfortunately, it seems that these kinds of events are occurring more frequently each day. World markets fluctuate wildly making it difficult, if not impossible, to feel confident about saving for the future. Political leaders—at home and abroad—seem intent on placing blame than on fixing the problems governments face. Even the weather seems to have become more unpredictable.
On a more personal level, “downsizing” and “underemployment” are terms that feel much more threatening now than they did a couple of years ago. You find yourself at the funeral home much more often than you would have expected. As people make accusations and raise questions about the behavior of venerable public figures, you find yourself asking, “Who can I trust?”
It is exactly in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that it is important to recall who is in charge of your life—and your destiny. The people who were living in Ephesus in the first century were experiencing greater and greater uncertainty. In the midst of their anxiety, Paul prays that they will remember “the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him,” and “the authority of Christ”—who is “far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come” (cf. Ephesians 1:19-21).
The world can seem mighty scary at times. The uncertainty can threaten to disable us. As we gather as a community of faith, let us join with Paul and pray for one another, “that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
Friday, November 11, 2011
Preparing for Thanksgiving
The flood of catalogs has already started. Most retailers have completed the transition from orange and black to red and green. Several online merchants are featuring countdown clocks to “Black Friday.” In the midst of all the voices calling you to start your Christmas shopping early this year, it could be easy to shortchange your celebration of Thanksgiving.
If your “cash flow” is feeling more like a “cash trickle,” you may even be wondering what you have to be thankful for. With so many voices encouraging you to spend your way to a “happy holidays,” you may have a growing sense of dread as December approaches. That’s even more of a reason to make a decision now to make sure that Thanksgiving is more than just the start of the shopping season for you and your family.
It is good to remember that the first celebrations of Thanksgiving in this country were observed in conditions that were much less than ideal. The colonists who were trying to establish a settlement at Plymouth had seen many of their friends and members of their families pass away due to the harsh conditions. Even with a better harvest that summer, they may not have had enough to feed everyone if the Wampanoag Native Americans had not helped them out.
When David moved the Ark into the city of Jerusalem, he appointed priests whose primary job was to lead the people in giving thanks to God. That first day David gave them a new song to teach the people. It begins, “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done” (1 Chronicles 16:8).
While Jeremiah was still confined for disturbing the peace, God reassured him that the day would come when God’s people would be restored. And when that happened God told Jeremiah, “The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for the Lord is good. His faithful love endures forever!’” (Jeremiah 33:11).
It is from prison that Paul writes to the Colossians, “and whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17).
You can begin to prepare now to make this season of Thanksgiving a celebration that acknowledges God’s unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for all—especially for you!
May this holiday be a blessing to you and your household.
If your “cash flow” is feeling more like a “cash trickle,” you may even be wondering what you have to be thankful for. With so many voices encouraging you to spend your way to a “happy holidays,” you may have a growing sense of dread as December approaches. That’s even more of a reason to make a decision now to make sure that Thanksgiving is more than just the start of the shopping season for you and your family.
It is good to remember that the first celebrations of Thanksgiving in this country were observed in conditions that were much less than ideal. The colonists who were trying to establish a settlement at Plymouth had seen many of their friends and members of their families pass away due to the harsh conditions. Even with a better harvest that summer, they may not have had enough to feed everyone if the Wampanoag Native Americans had not helped them out.
When David moved the Ark into the city of Jerusalem, he appointed priests whose primary job was to lead the people in giving thanks to God. That first day David gave them a new song to teach the people. It begins, “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done” (1 Chronicles 16:8).
While Jeremiah was still confined for disturbing the peace, God reassured him that the day would come when God’s people would be restored. And when that happened God told Jeremiah, “The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for the Lord is good. His faithful love endures forever!’” (Jeremiah 33:11).
It is from prison that Paul writes to the Colossians, “and whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17).
You can begin to prepare now to make this season of Thanksgiving a celebration that acknowledges God’s unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for all—especially for you!
May this holiday be a blessing to you and your household.
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