Advent Waiting
Luke 1:39-56
December 17, 2006
(Taken from finding calm in the chaos: Christian Devotions for Busy Women by Kathleen Long Bostrom) In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the ill country where she entered the house of Zach and greeted Liz.
In those days.
In what days?
In those days when she knew without a doubt that the words of the angel had come true. She was pregnant. About three months along. Just starting to show.
In those days when Joseph was still trying to sort out what all this meant in his life. When family and friends questioned why he didn't just ditch Mary and find someone else.
In those days when she realized that something miraculous was taking place. Within her life. Within the world.
In those days when it dawned on her that her own plans for the future had been unalterably changed.
In those days, she set out on foot and made the 100 plus mile journey to her relative Liz's house. Mary had to get out of Nazareth , away from the accusing eyes and tangled-up wedding plans and curious questions. In those days, when she just needed to spend a little time with someone who would not judge, accuse, question , or condemn.
We all have “those days,” when life isn't following the course we expected, when our burdens seem to have gained weight overnight, when nothing makes sense anymore, when we long more than anything simply to be welcomed with open and nonjudgmental arms .
I do not know how Mary knew Elizabeth would be just he person she needed. Did she know about Liz's secret pregnancy? Maybe. Maybe not. Somehow, god guided Mary to the home of the one person she most needed to see “in those days.”
Is it one of “those days for you right now? Who is the one person you know you can go to, who will love you no matter what?
And how can you e Liz to a friend or family member who seeks a safe haven in the comfort of your presence?
Being an Elizabeth to another person may be the best gift you ever gift. It might be the best you ever receive, too.
The Gospels never say a word about Mary's parents. Did she have brothers or sisters? Was there anyone she felt close enough to talk with when the angel dumped the shocking news on her about motherhood? Did they stand by Mary when the neighbors began whispering behind her back, when the wedding plans were put on hold? I feel for Mary's parents, and her siblings if she had any. What were those months of preparation like for them? What is this time of preparation like for you? What do we do in the waiting?
Holly Whitcomb writes, in the 7 Spiritual Gifts of Waiting . I hate waiting. I hate waiting especially at the grocery store, but sometimes I look down at my full cart and I'm grateful for the food, for the money to buy the food, for the people who got the food to the store, those who grew it, processed it, picked it…Grateful
Yes we are waiting. But look at all these people who are offering help. Aren't we lucky we're going through this now rather than ten years ago?
Waiting can give us unexpected moments to be thankful that everything is running smoothly or lovely or peaceful, the small things we have not noticed before.
During a period of depression my friend asked me, Can you look at the period of depression as a messenger who is trying to tell you something? Can you regard this depression as a gift from which you might gain some new understanding or some new insight? Given the way I was feeling, it was very hard to imagine depression as a messenger who is trying to tell you something? Can you regard this depression as a gift from which you might gain some new understanding or some new insight?
Given the way I was feeling, it was very hard to imagine depression as a positive messenger or, even more ludicrously, as a gift. I had always regarded depression as something to be warded off.
Life is a great unending opportunity to see things differently, to keep reframing disaster and discouragement into faith. It got me thinking about reframing.
In the Beatitudes Jesus offers us the chance to be in the reframing business. Many of the persons described in the beatitudes, says well known preacher Fred Craddock, are victims, to be sure, but the beatitudes deliver them from a victim mentality. The beatitudes invite us to see blessedness even in the midst of tumult and suffering. They invite us not to be trapped by circumstances, but to look for the grace, to find the possibilities, to explore the edges for growth.
The most mundane reframe is waiting. But the Beatitudes teach us that we are blessed in our waiting because it is then that we have the opportunity to see with new eyes, to count our blessings. I do not believe that God clobbers us over the head with suffering or waiting so we'll learn from them, but I do believe God blesses us with insight when life circumstances put us on hold.
Gratitude moves us beyond entitlement. Those folks who demand the best seats, the best healthcare, the corner office with the best view. They go through life with a chip on their shoulders feeling deprived if they are not elevated beyond the common rabble. They often act needy and greedy, and always insist on special attention.
Entitlement hides the lens of gratitude and shuts down our appreciation of the everyday miracles of life. Entitlement is particularly seductive when we are waiting because we tend to feel sorry for ourselves. We say, “Look at my anxiety. Look at my misery. Look at my distress. I deserve a leg up. It is very easy to become whiney, to expect special privileges and to act entitled while we are waiting. In the pain of our waiting, we may slip into feeling entitled. But entitlement defeats gratitude.
You can practice Gratitude by carefully building a home in your heart to accommodate it.
When we are waiting, we are vulnerable –and our hearts are open. Therein lies the gift: Our open hearts teach us to notice the blessings of small things we would have never noticed before. In our fragility and brokenness, little things become a lifeline: the food a neighbor brings to the door, a peaceful sit in a lilac filled park, a gentle touch of understanding, a homemade card of a child. Needing all the emotional help we can get, we notice all those small things that sustain us while we wait.
Waiting offers us a unique time to make a home in our hearts for gratitude. As with any spiritual discipline, however, gratitude takes practice. Here are some practices that have helped me learn to live as a grateful person:
List your sources of abundance (your health, your family, your training and
experience, your home, etc.)
Think over the past year. Make a list of your answered prayers.
Ask this question every night: For what do I give thanks today?
Practice finding instead of seeking
Let your times of waiting help you take a little rest from constant and wearisome seeking…Let waiting help you reflect with gratitude on what you have.
We find ourselves today in the waiting. We could be Zach, Liz, Mary, Mary's sister, Liz's brother, we could be Mary's parent…Wherever we find ourselves on this journey. However the waiting is feeling for us. Let's rest in the waiting. Actively taking the time to reflect with gratitude on what we have. We won't b e able to contain the joy which can wash over us as we take time for gratitude, just as Liz and Mary found out. Let's fill this world with joy this week, by taking the time to be grateful. Let us pray.