e-vo for week of December 8

Dearest e-votees-

Our appointed texts for this coming Sunday (the 3rd Sunday of Advent) have some themes of waiting and patience.

May your patience and your time biding for the completion of God’s abiding promises be blessed.

Peace,
Karl

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Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

James 5:7-10, NRSV

Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. It is a hard season for many of us:

• The preparations can seem so large and the expectations of some so tyrannical.
• Many of us have become much too acclimated to instant gratification.
• The world can eviscerate the season making it into get-mas (focusing primarily on the material aspects of Christmas).
• Our families and friends can eviscerate the season making it into guilt-mas (focusing on places where others have come up short and failed to meet expectations).
• Even people who know better get distracted and derailed—take John the Baptist for example…

This Sunday’s appointed gospel text from Matthew 11 has John in prison. He is sending word to Jesus via disciples to ask “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” John is certainly waiting as he passes time in prison. He has pointed to Jesus (as he does in traditional paintings) and allowed himself to be made small that Jesus might increase and usher in the kingdom. For all the fanfare and hype that John provided perhaps Jesus seems a little lackluster. John wants some assurance. Perhaps John is leaning on where cousin Jesus has not properly met expectations. Perhaps John is too focused on the material in terms of a palpable kingdom. You would think John would know better.

How easily do we get swept off-course by the frenzy that is the holidays? Cards and gifts and meals and reunions and decorating and trees and holiday parties and … Sometimes the celebrations get so out of hand it feels as if we are going to lose our head (hopefully not so literally as John at that one party). We can allow Christmas to lose its essential portions—to become eviscerated. The truth is the first Christmas slipped under the radar of two gospel accounts—we don’t always recognize such things when they appear. It was long awaited (over many years and hopeful prophecies). It didn’t bear the trappings of all the traditions that have accumulated over the years (a few gifts that probably came quite a bit later than Jesus’ birthday). Christmas is a powerful event where, as Michael Card sings, eternity stepped into time so we could understand. But it sure doesn’t always line up with the hype and the hoopla that the world and the church creates. And sometimes we let ourselves get distracted. You think we would know better.

May we all be patient:

• …as the kingdom doesn’t always come as fast as we would like or in the forms we would like.
• …as people are people and hurt us and are hurt by us (perhaps rather than grumble about them we can pray for them).
• …as we disappoint ourselves or imagine we have disappointed God—may God’s grace surprise us.
• …as we wait in prisons (literal or figurative) at times wondering if this Jesus is the real deal.

Jesus’ response to John involved pointing to the life that was apparent—healings, restored sight, people coming back from the dead. Our response to all of the things that might distract us is to point to the life that is apparent—God in the manger, God in the world, God in us and God coming again. May your waiting and your pointing be blessed.


God, come and be with us. Give us faith and hearts and patience that we might serve you well. Amen.