It’s mid December and the Lehigh Valley has its first snow storm of the winter. Actually, the entire NorthEast is digging out today from a fresh delivery of white stuff. We waited for it, collectively checking weather apps and readying shovels and plows.

Meanwhile, several friends are in the hospital, facing the severity of Covid’s impact. Through phone calls, prayers said and a collective grimace, we wait for news of recovery.

A colleague’s relative had a medical procedure. After six hours, no word. More waiting.

It’s painful. Think of the last time you waited for the test results from a doctor. Excruciating…

Advent teaches us to acknowledge the waitings in our lives. This is not a time for answers or quick-fixes. Rather, it is about staying with the uncomfortable and holding it up to God. Can you help me make sense of this in-between time Lord? Can you make it holy?

In addition, Advent reminds us to wait with one another. A text sent in support of someone else who is waiting…a call to one in need of healing. These are small ways through which we can be with someone else as they wait. We don’t offer solutions or remedies. We offer companionship. If you’re waiting for something, extending yourself into someone else’s need is smart. Without waiting with others, we can easily withdraw and become overly self absorbed.

If this reminds you of Jesus, it ought to. Advent brings us full circle with God’s plan for a world left waiting for its Savior.