Second Monday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Waiting in Desolation
by Matthew R. Green
We typically see Advent as a season of waiting. We’re mirroring the people of Judea, who waited for the anointed one as we now wait for the return of Jesus at the end of the age. And just like the Jews who didn’t know when the Messiah would appear, we don’t know when the Lord will return.
Waiting can be gentle and lovely. I recall waiting to pick up a friend from her office years ago.The space outside her building was landscaped beautifully, with a well-maintained park with trees and benches and a stream with bridges to meander over. I rarely minded when she was late. Waiting was a pleasure.
But that wasn’t how many of the Jews felt about their waiting for the Messiah or, indeed, many periods of waiting throughout their history. They were crying out for the Lord’s anointed because Rome had imposed its laws and taxes on them, and they longed for their freedom. This echoes back to those parts of Isaiah’s prophecies in today’s readings, where he painted for them a picture of the Babylonian invasion that was coming and the devastation that would result. There was no wine to enjoy. No one laughed any longer. There was no singing or music. The streets were filled with people grieving because of the devastation of their homes. In their despair and misery, they waited for the Lord to save them. When would God appear? Why didn’t God do something?
Why does God leave us in these places of desolation? The Lord could surely rescue, but redemption often takes so much longer than we want. Desperate for relief, sometimes all we can do is keep crying out for help. We know our God is strong. We know the Father is good and kind. Someday, the Lord’s hand will appear and do something to alleviate the trouble, but until then, we’re left hurting and uncertain. There is, in these moments, no resolution.
Surely all of us have had to wait in frustration, grief, or loneliness. The COVID pandemic stuck many people in places of frustrated waiting: how long before we can go out again? When will we be able to see each other face-to-face? Or perhaps impending medical tests have left us aching for news. I vividly remember sitting in a subway car before the results came back from my wife’s breast cancer biopsy. I just stared as blank walls sped by the window, numb to everything because I had no choice but to wait in my anxiety until the doctors called.
How difficult it can be to wait in those desolate places! Yet they come, and our invitation is to learn to live well even in desolation. I invite you to turn back to such a time from your past or perhaps to focus on the present if you are waiting and struggling now. If you feel safe enough, in a spirit of openness to God in prayer, think back to that time. Open yourself up to what you were feeling then. What was happening? What was going on in your mind and heart? Take a moment to stay with those thoughts and feelings before moving on.
Do you recall what your relationship with God was like when you were going through those circumstances? Did God seem present? Distant? Caring? Cold? Angry? Empathic? How did you experience the Lord? Did you ask anything of God? Did you hear any response?
Did you invite God into your circumstances? Not necessarily to fix things or bring resolution, but just to be with you? If not, take a moment to imagine what it would have been like to ask Jesus to be present there, perhaps walking with you like he walked with the disciples. How might things have changed if you had experienced the Lord with you in a gentle way through that troubled waiting? Take a moment to consider and experience what that might have been like.
If, on the other hand, you did experience God with you in that time, just take a few moments to return to how you felt then and allow that gentle presence to fill your heart.
We are still waiting in a troubled world. Advent is the season of anticipation. What difference does it make if, even in struggle, we know Immanuel - God with us?
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