Belmont University Advent GuideSample

The act of waiting can be difficult. Anticipating payday when one is running short on money is tough. Expecting to hear back from your interview or application can be daunting. Waiting for the new season of a show to finally appear on Netflix is challenging! The act of waiting can be difficult. A woman wanting to escape the hands of her domestic abuser knows waiting is tough. For the father attempting to provide for his family with an inadequate subsistence, anticipating the day they are not beneath the poverty line, is unnerving. The families from the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, SC that wait for the healing of wounds can attest that waiting for restoration is a challenging undertaking. The act of waiting can be difficult. The abhorrent and callous world in which we live can create an atmosphere where waiting even seems counter-cultural. When one considers persistent issues of race relations, gender and sexuality, economic crises, ecological desolation, and increased senseless acts of violence, waiting appears useless! The Psalmist writes in his distress, pleading for God not to forsake him. David pens in verse fifteen of the 38th Psalm, “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.” Even in David’s world of discontent and heartache, he is waiting for God to come, and he is expecting that the ever-loving God will have the answer. The act of waiting can be difficult. But in this season of Advent, which we share, let us not be overtaken by the woes of the world and let us not lose hope. Let us rejoice in waiting, for those that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40.31). This time reminds us that a Savior is coming—the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Even in a world where it might appear that hope is lost, we expect a Messiah to come and bring this word to us: Proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4.18-19) Emmanuel! Emmanuel! Emmanuel! God is with us. Corwin Davis Senior, Christian Leadership