Waiting

On most church calendars, the season of Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27 and December 3. For many, many people, Advent is a holy time of year marking preparation for Christmas.

Growing up, I was oblivious to the spiritual significance of the season, although I looked forward to Christmas as much as any kid. Even when I first started doing the “Christian thing,” I didn’t really pay that much attention to Advent. The tradition that I was spiritually born into didn’t put much stock in ritual, so the church calendar wasn’t emphasized.

It’s only been the last several years that I started appreciating the wonder of the Advent season. I remember at a Christmas banquet years ago hearing someone talk about Advent in a way that really struck me. He talked about the Jews in the time right before Christ’s birth being in this state of waiting.The image that most stuck with me was that of a hunter right before dawn. (He hunted deer, so he spoke with some experience!) He painted a picture of pre-dawn stillness, of all of nature, including himself, waiting for the sun to rise. And that, he said, was how all of Israel waited for the coming of Messiah.

Now, I know that many people in the world (including some readers, most likely) aren’t religious or don’t relate to the whole coming-of-the-Messiah thing. No matter; this kind of archetype speaks to all of us. It’s a universal experience at some point to be waiting for something. Whether it’s a new career, a spouse, a new home, some kind of spiritual or emotional awakening—we all wait on something sooner or later. (And I’m referring to significant waiting here, not just waiting for Friday to finally get here or for dinner to be done!)

And there’s something very profound in this expectant—but not exactly impatient—state. There’s something deep and beautiful that happens in our souls during this time. I know Tom Petty said that the waiting is the hardest part (and sometimes it is!), but there’s also a delicious expectancy in waiting—like a woman awaiting the birth of a child or a couple during their engagement. We know something wonderful is coming, and part of us can’t wait.

But it’s also the sweetest, most hopeful anticipation we could ever know.