“Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!” (ELW, 262)

This December, we celebrate the season of Advent. From now until Christmas, we wait for our Lord, Jesus Christ, to come to us. We wait for our God to come incarnate as baby Jesus in Bethlehem. We wait for Jesus to come to our hearts and minds daily. We wait for Jesus to come again to judge the living and the dead in all of his glory.

Advent is about waiting. Waiting for Jesus. Waiting for the Kingdom. Waiting for peace, justice, and equity. Stay Alert. Be Ready, for Jesus comes like a thief in the night. At any moment, Christ is coming to you with life and freedom.

We are trained to hate waiting. We live in a culture where we don’t have to wait for anything. We expect a text to be responded to immediately. We expect people to interrupt what they are doing to respond to an email or phone call. We expect free two-day shipping. Even before Thanksgiving, we can’t wait for Christmas. Trees and lights go up. Radio stations play Christmas carols. Saint Nicholas impersonators are found wandering about a month in advance. We don’t value waiting.

The season of Advent is meant to be a space and time set aside to wait with joyful hope and anxious anticipation for Jesus to come to this world. When Jesus comes, he will bring peace and justice. When Jesus comes, he will bring freedom for all those captive to sin, death, and the devil.

Through this season of Advent, we will prayerfully sing the hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The word Emmanuel means God with us. We pray for God to be with us. We cry with anxious expectation for God to be with us. We sing with joyful hope for God to be with us. We wait for the Lord with longing and hope. This December, we patiently wait for Jesus to come. We wait for Emmanuel to bring peace to all people.

Jesus is coming soon. Be ready for the kingdom of God to break into this world with resurrection and life. Take the time to wait with joyful hope. A day is coming when Jesus returns with justice, peace, and equity for all people. Jesus will feed the hungry. Jesus will wipe away every tear. The Holy Spirit will unite all people together in love. The Holy Spirit will give life and love to all people. Jesus is coming.

“Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!” (ELW, 262)

Pastor Tyler Hoey, December 2021