Waiting....and Preparing
I thought I'd take a break from the "Words We Speak" series to do some Advent and Christmas ponderings. This year, I did something that was remarkable for me. I made ginger cookies two days before the event I needed them for! For a person who has often been primarily motivated by deadlines and usually would be pulling the last tray out of the oven after midnight the night before the event, this was a little new. I wondered... what had changed?
Well, a few things - I thank God that my life is not as busy as it used to be, I now actually like to bake, and I'm more realistic about the time that things take me. But underneath it all, I think there is something more. It's a bigger change in my perspective on life. I now see that waiting involves preparing.
When I was a child, I couldn't wait for Christmas. I would fill my time looking at the Sear's Christmas Wishbook and planning my own Christmas list but it still seemed so far away and I wondered how it would ever come! All I could think of were the number of days until I had presents under the tree. Now as an adult, I am confident that Christmas will come and I focus more on what I need to do to be ready for it. I'm still excited for Christmas and have a sense of hope and anticipation but the waiting is filled with preparation.
In the Advent season, the Church emphasizes not only the coming of Christ as a baby but the yet-to-happen coming of the Son of Man to bring an end to this age and usher in His full reign as King of Kings. Many of us long for the day when this will happen. We look forward to the time when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:4) And while I think is it appropriate to eagerly wait to meet our Lord face to face, Advent calls me to ask, "Am I ready?" Am I/Are we spending our time preparing for that day?
Amidst the shopping, social gatherings, and Christmas traditions, you may find it tough to find time to think through these questions. But I encourage you to try and do it. One suggestion is to let the words of Jesus lead you in your reflections by reading Matthew 21-25 over the next two weeks. I'm going to try and do it this week and then blog about it next Monday. I'd love to have your input!
Well, a few things - I thank God that my life is not as busy as it used to be, I now actually like to bake, and I'm more realistic about the time that things take me. But underneath it all, I think there is something more. It's a bigger change in my perspective on life. I now see that waiting involves preparing.
When I was a child, I couldn't wait for Christmas. I would fill my time looking at the Sear's Christmas Wishbook and planning my own Christmas list but it still seemed so far away and I wondered how it would ever come! All I could think of were the number of days until I had presents under the tree. Now as an adult, I am confident that Christmas will come and I focus more on what I need to do to be ready for it. I'm still excited for Christmas and have a sense of hope and anticipation but the waiting is filled with preparation.
In the Advent season, the Church emphasizes not only the coming of Christ as a baby but the yet-to-happen coming of the Son of Man to bring an end to this age and usher in His full reign as King of Kings. Many of us long for the day when this will happen. We look forward to the time when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev. 21:4) And while I think is it appropriate to eagerly wait to meet our Lord face to face, Advent calls me to ask, "Am I ready?" Am I/Are we spending our time preparing for that day?
Amidst the shopping, social gatherings, and Christmas traditions, you may find it tough to find time to think through these questions. But I encourage you to try and do it. One suggestion is to let the words of Jesus lead you in your reflections by reading Matthew 21-25 over the next two weeks. I'm going to try and do it this week and then blog about it next Monday. I'd love to have your input!
Hi Tracy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog entry; it's really helpful to distinguish between waiting and preparing. During Advent, I often try to consider the idea of waiting and explore what that means - what it means to wait in expectation etc - but I don't often think about the fact that we do need to ask this question: am I prepared? am I preparing? This is really going to give me something more to think about for the remainder of the season! I think I will take your advice and start with Matthew 21-25.