Advent | A Family ReflectionSample
Faithful Waiting
by Patricia Raybon
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:38
My grandmother started her Christmas season early. Right after Thanksgiving, she launched into gift-giving, mailing wrapped presents to my sister and me, each gift selected from the modest general store she’d struggled to own and operate in her all-black St. Louis neighborhood. Yet with every package, my sister and I only begged. Can we open it? We failed to see our grandmother’s sacrifice, so our mother cut short our excitement. “Christmas won’t be here for weeks,” she said. “Leave those packages alone.”
Instead, Mama piled the boxes in a corner of our small living room. There they sat, willing to be secretly touched, shaken, caressed, smelled, hugged, maybe loved. Then finally, as my sister and I saw it, our thrifty parents bought a discounted Christmas tree (when prices dropped). They then placed our grandmother’s presents under our tree to wait for Christmas morning.
It was a long wait. Impatient, my sister and I grew cranky and complaining, longing to rip open gifts we didn’t fully appreciate.
To see a gift’s true value, we could have learned a lesson from Anna. She’s the prophet in the Gospel of Luke who was widowed at a young age, then lived as a widow in the temple until age 84. Eager to see the Messiah arrive as Savior of Jerusalem—yes, as the world’s great gift—Anna “never left the temple.” She spent her years not cranky and complaining, but “worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (2:37). As Anna understood, seeing God for who he is means spending time in his service.
I’ve understood that in theory. Then, recently, my husband, Dan, was diagnosed with “aggressive high-risk” prostate cancer. His doctors are optimistic, expecting a cure. But the prescribed treatment could take two years—plus a lot of patience. During this difficult season, Dan could focus on himself. Or he could serve others by taking part in a clinical trial that involves risks. His choice? While looking for healing, Dan is helping doctors worldwide learn what works best.
Such sacrificial service, as Anna knew, gives perspective to a long wait. When Anna finally saw the infant Christ, she recognized God. Then she immediately evangelized. She “spoke about the child to all” who’d waited for his rescue (v. 38). My husband does that now. Waiting for a cure, he talks of Christ, telling everyone that he is coming, just as he said.
Consider Luke 2:36–38. How can you best serve others while waiting to see Christ?
Patricia Raybon is an award-winning author of books and essays on faith, race, and grace.
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About this Plan
Advent comes from the Latin adventus , meaning “arrival, approach.” During this season leading up to Christmas, we reflect on the longing of God’s people for the Messiah, which was fulfilled in the arrival of Jesus—God made flesh, Light from Light, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Advent has another purpose, too: drawing our spiritual gaze toward the future when, as we affirm in the Nicene Creed, Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” This resource will guide you through both aspects of Advent reflection.
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We would like to thank Christianity Today in Partnership with Garden City for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://www.gardencityproject.com