Waiting on the World to ChangeSampl

"...you long to see us, just as we also long to see you." 1 Thess. 3:6

What’s one of your most cherished Christmas memories? Is it a special dish or dessert? Or is it a favorite song or movie? Chances are whatever your favorite thing about Christmas is, it involves someone else. Happy Christmas memories are made more special because they were probably shared with a beloved family member, a special friend, or a kind neighbor. Memories - good or bad - are made more vibrant, more permanent, and lasting because of another person.

Advent is a peculiar season because it is a hinge point. It allows us to peer backward into the past, recalling Christ’s birth in Bethlehem even as we are invited to look forward to his return. We wait in the now, in the present during Advent, remembering the events of the past while we wait for the future to arrive.

The past points us towards the future and guards us in the present moment. Life in this sin-sick world is hard - even for Christians! But Jesus, the one who overcame the world provides us with companions who encourage us to accept the present movement for what it is and to prepare for the future with hope because of how God has already met us in past difficulties. Just as Paul and Timothy were sustained by pleasant memories of being with others in the body of Christ, we are able to endure the waiting now because of our memories - they allow us to live in expectation of what is to come.

Prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for the gifts you give us of family, friends, and loved ones. Thank you for being a God who cares about our human experience enough to come and live among us, becoming part of an earthly family, and with friends you loved and laughed with and wept with in their loss. As we remember those we love, including those who are now absent from us, may our memories be more than just nostalgia and sentimentality, but reflect our hope in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.