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| Sunday, December 13, 2009 |
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Waiting for One to Come
By webmaster @ 7:00 AM :: 382 Views ::
0 Comments :: Dr. Michael Brown
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I sit at the typewriter this morning, waiting for my son to arrive. Adam is twenty-seven and lives in NC. I suspect he always will live there, though I keep telling him all about the glories of New York. He's a great young man, a source of deep joy to me. All of our kids are. I just see a little less of him than of the others, so I savor every moment I have with him. It will be his second time to worship at Marble, and I can't wait to show you off to him… and him to you.
Waiting for my son to arrive… with anticipation and excitement. That's pretty much an Advent emotion, isn't it? The Hebrew people waited, hoped, and prayed for hundreds of years for God's Son to arrive. They imagined a wide variety of ways in which He might come, and what He might be once He arrived. But unanimously, they waited, hoped, and prayed.
That feeling translates across the years. It's still what we do in Advent. In fact, that's why the season is set aside liturgically. We don't just jump from Christ-the-King Sunday straight to Christmas. Instead, we practice the discipline of waiting. We meditate on what it would really mean to welcome The Messiah into our world… and into our personal lives. And we do so in a deeper way than is captured in sweet carols or seasonal cards. Advent is a time for genuine and deep reflection. "What would it mean to me… What would it make of me… What would be required… What things would I need to discard from the way I currently live… What new disciplines would I be asked to adopt… Who would I be asked to forgive, to serve, to love… What would I find that brings previously unknown meaning and joy… if I truly welcomed a Messiah into my life?" Hopefully, after contemplating those questions for a month, then when Christmas arrives we are ready to say a genuine "Welcome."
Waiting for The Son of God to arrive. This is a season of anticipation, prayer, reflection, preparation. And ultimately, it brings inexpressible joy.
I'm living a microcosm of that this morning – waiting for my older son to arrive and knowing that he always bring me joy.
In a theological sense, that's where we're all living in December. We're waiting for One to come who brings meaning and joy as none other ever can. But to fully appreciate that requires the silent and still ponderings of Advent, a season of wonder and waiting. |
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Welcome to MarbleTalks, a weblog published by the ministers and staff of Marble Collegiate Church. If you're unfamiliar with blogs, this short primer will help get you up to speed.
What is a Blog?
MarbleTalks provides a forum for each of our ministers and various staff members to share their thoughts, questions, and experiences with our faith community. Contributors to the blog will use a wide variety of sources for inspiration, and may share those sources when possible. Blogs are built around the active participation of their readers, and will commonly encourage you to take action in your life and the world around you.
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| Sun. |
Dr. Brown |
| Mon. |
Sister Carol Perry |
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Rev. Lewicki |
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Kenneth Dake |
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Dr. Jordan |
| Fri. |
Rev. Pierce |
| Sat. |
Nina Frost |
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