Waiting can be hard. Christmas is a season that builds anticipation well. Once the tree goes up in our homes, we know the day is near. If you use an Advent calendar, you really count down the days. For some, simply looking at the presents under the tree is almost more than they can take – they want to peek! No matter when we start our count – November 7, December 1… – we start out knowing that December 25 is a fixed date. For the secular world, it is all over on December 25.
In Advent the focus is on the same date, but for Christians the purpose is different. We await the gift of Christ. We celebrate Jesus’ birth not in and of itself, but for His whole life’s impact upon us. It is in His death and resurrection that we gain victory over our own death and we find the strength to fight against the temptations and sins we face daily.
In Advent, our question is: do we wait well? As we ready ourselves for celebrating Christ’s birth, we also have an eye on His actual return. That date is unknown. Yet it is surely coming, one day closed today than it was yesterday. As we wait, do we share our joy with others? Do we share our hope? Do we share our peace? Do we share our love? Waiting well involves all of these, plus sharing the greatest gft ever given, the reason for all of these other things we share: Jesus Christ, the savior of the world.
Scripture reference: 2 Peter 3: 8-15a
