Dear First pres,
Advent is upon us. It’s a season of waiting. Most of us don’t like waiting. We’d rather get immediate satisfaction. So, we can get a little annoyed when we have to wait.
Last week my family had the privilege of spending a day at Universal Studios Hollywood. It was a great day, but there was plenty of waiting. Most of the attractions had about a 45 to 60-minute wait. But here is what I noticed in myself: it was much easier to wait in a line that was moving. When we took the studio tour it said that there would be a 60-minute wait. Not one of us was excited about that. But the line was moving. We waited for the full 60 minutes, but we hardly ever stood still. So, even though we were waiting, we had hope (confident expectation) that the waiting would eventually end and we would get on the tram and take the tour. However, when we got in line for The Mummy ride the sign said it was a 45-minute wait. Then, while we stood still, hardly moving an inch, the announcement was made that it was now a 60-minute wait. After several minutes and just a few steps, it was changed to a 75-minute wait … then a 90-minute wait. Meanwhile, my hope was waning … and so was my peace.
Advent is about waiting, but it’s about waiting with great hope. As we consider what it was like for God’s people to wait for the Messiah to come, we know that He indeed came. God promised He would send the Messiah, and He fulfilled His promise. He always fulfills His promises. Now, we wait for the Messiah Jesus to return and bring His Kingdom in fullness. Sometimes it may feel like it’ll never happen. Sometimes it may feel like God has abandoned us. Sometimes it may feel like the darkness of this world is winning. But God has promised that Jesus will return in ultimate victory. God has promised that everything will be put under the Lordship of Jesus. God has promised that His people, through faith in Jesus Christ, will be with Him forever. So, we wait, but we wait with confident expectation - we wait with hope in Christ. If you’re struggling to have hope this year, ask the Lord to remind you of what is certainly coming in Christ.
And, we don’t stand still while we wait. We go, we work, we worship, we love, we disciple, and we pray. We don’t sit in hiding; we live out the mission of God for redeeming transformation in our city and world.
That’s why I encourage you to join me on Sunday night for our December Prayer Gathering. We’ll meet from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Commons and we’ll contend in prayer for the Kingdom of God to come in and through FPC as it is in heaven. Prayer is one of the best ways for us to actively wait in hope, and I know you’ll be blessed (not annoyed) by this kind of waiting. So, I “hope” to see you there.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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