Unshakable Hope in our Waiting
November is coming to a close and with December upon us, so too do we sense the passing of another year. In amongst this is Christmas, and maybe we already feel a wave of exhaustion, stress, and the pressures of this season. Unfortunately, and I struggle with this myself, the busyness, the meetings, the organising, the practices, the shopping, the traffic, can bring us to a point where our spiritual anticipation for the real reason for the season gets squeezed out.
We are all susceptible to this, and maybe you’re more adept than I at holding fast to what is most important for us as Christians during times like this, but we must not allow the external pressures of life to distract us from Jesus. This is what Advent season should be about, a season of waiting, a season of profound spiritual anticipation. This is the first Sunday of Advent and it is a season when we focus on Hope which is symbolised by the Prophet’s Candle. The hope that the Prophet's of scripture foretold, was that of the coming Messiah who will usher in a new Kingdom, a new Heaven and a new Earth, where God Himself will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away (Revelation 21:3-4).
Our lectionary reading this week (Matthew 24:36-44), is a somewhat enigmatic passage where Jesus talks about His return, that no one knows the time apart from the Father, and so we must always sit in anticipation, we must always be ready. And it is sometimes quite difficult not to hold a posture of fear in our waiting, but what is wonderful about Advent is that it helps us to reorient our hearts to Jesus in a spirit of joyous expectation.
As much as we might feel the pressure of this time of year, if we filter our worries and anxieties through the lens of Christ, it will always help us to prioritise the right things. It will also help us to be more attuned to God-inspired opportunities through which we might bless others. So often the pressures of life corrupt our motives and our decisions, and this in turn compromises the purity of Christ’s love working through us, and it is Christ’s Hope, Peace, Joy and Love which should be the essence of Christmas.
In our waiting, we often allow hope to wane, or even be shaken. So can I encourage you to still your hearts in this season, and to keep eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. God bless you all as we wait with unshakeable hope.
Blessings
Josh
