The Bible is full of hidden treasures. Rich insights await those who seek God's word “between the lines.”
Luke 2:25-38 The story of Simeon and Anna reminds us that good news happens to those who wait.
Come, Lord Jesus!
An important part of the Christian journey is waiting. As the liturgical calendar forces us to wait for Easter during the long days of Lent, so it makes us wait in Advent for the good message of Christ’s birth. But in a world of instant coffee and fast food, it has become increasingly difficult to wait for anything. Even churches find it difficult to wait: many have Easter egg hunts during Holy Week and Christmas parties in Advent.
Yet we do spend a lot of time waiting. We wait in lines at banks, restaurants, grocery stores, and even at church after the benediction. We wait for the weekend and for summer vacation. We wait for our tax returns. We wait for a first date, a first kiss. We wait for him to pop the question. We wait for our wedding day. We wait for our beloved to die, peacefully and without pain if possible. We wait for sorrow to fade and for wars to end. Besides sleeping, we probably spend more of our lives waiting than doing anything else.
So, why is it that we can’t wait till Christmas to bring out the decorations? Why is it that even before Thanksgiving the stores gear up for Christmas sales? Even in churches Christmas trees outnumber Advent wreathes.
Our job description
In the Bible waiting and hoping comprise the job description of the people of God. Noah had to wait for the waters to subside (Genesis 8:10–12). Moses had to wait for God to give him the covenant law (Exodus 24:12). The Psalmist had to wait for God’s deliverance (Psalm 25). John the Baptist and his disciples had to wait for the Messiah (Matthew 11:2–3).
Christians must wait for “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home” (2 Peter 3:13). In fact, the concluding petition of the Bible, in Revelation 22:20, is an expression of waiting and hoping: “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Luke 2:25–38 introduces Simeon and Anna, two people whose lives had been marked by waiting for God’s salvation. Simeon, who waited for the “consolation of Israel,” was promised that he would see the Messiah before he died (2:25–26). Anna fasted and prayed “night and day” until she began to praise God and to talk about the baby Jesus to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (37–38). What joy and relief they must have experienced in the temple that day, when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus!
But has that joyful news so overwhelmed the waiting, that we no longer have to share Simeon’s and Anna’s longing and hope for salvation? Must Christmas overwhelm Advent?
Each year the lectionary readings for Advent suggest that we ought to cultivate the art of hopeful waiting. Even after two millennia, great lessons await those who seek to experience the season of Advent in a more profound way, opening themselves to the possibility of divine surprises.
The gift of Advent waiting
Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The name rightly characterizes this season of anticipating Jesus’ perennial birth into our church calendar and into our lives. In Advent I sometimes try to imagine Mary and Joseph waiting—not knowing how God has and will continue to invade and disturb their lives. I also think about the story of Simeon and Anna.
Advent isn’t just about our Savior’s birth. Advent is also about our Savior’s return, as almost every book of the New Testament reminds us. Remembering the original advent of Christ’s incarnation two millennia ago is the beginning of all our Advents. But we should also be mindful of the last words of the Bible in Revelation 22:20: “The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
The world is not yet well or whole; shalom is slower in coming than we had thought. But in that great waiting room of our earthly lives, waiting is our profession, our confession and the best way we exercise Christian patience and gratitude. Gratitude? Sure! Gratitude, like that of Simeon and Anna, for all the time we’ve been given to reflect on God’s love and to give thanks in eager anticipation.
Thanks be to God for the gift of Advent waiting! |
