What Are You Waiting For?
A significant part of the Christmas season involves waiting—waiting to decorate the tree, waiting for the school term to finish, waiting to be with family and friends and, of course, waiting for the big day itself when you can finally open that present with your name on it. In this Christmas meditation, SALT invites you to reflect on the stories of those waiting for the promised Messiah.
Words Jules Badger
At some point, usually early on in our faith journey, many of us fall prey to the misconception that God is like Santa Claus—a benevolent figure who gives us what we want. That might sound attractive momentarily but a God who meets all our expectations is a far cry from the God we read about in Ephesians 3:20, who is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’. There’s a difference between waiting for God to meet our expectations and waiting expectantly for what God has in store to come to pass.
‘Waiting is one of God’s immensely sweeping invitations,’ writes Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, in a chapter about waiting in her wonderful book Invitations from God. But she also says, ‘No matter how disciplined, organised and prayerful we get, we never outgrow God’s invitation to wait. You might think that with years of practise we would get the hang of it. But most of us would rather get our teeth drilled than wait.’
Have you ever wondered about those characters in the Christmas story who waited, in real time, for the promised Messiah to come? Those for who Christmas had not yet come because Jesus had not been born. Those for who Christmas was destined to come not once a year, but once in a lifetime.
What was it like for God’s chosen people to wait for centuries for the promised Messiah, particularly for the generations who lived under Roman oppression, waiting in faith and desperate hope for what God had promised long ago to be fulfilled?
We know from the first chapter in the Gospel of Luke that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were ‘righteous in the sight of God’ and that like their forebears they had been praying and waiting a lifetime for the Messiah. We also know that this devout couple were ‘very old’ and that they had been unable to conceive a child together. It is also likely that as a priest Zechariah had waited many years for the honour of entering the temple sanctuary to pray and burn incense on behalf of the people of Israel. And yet in one angelic visitation Zechariah was told that all his prayers had been answered! Not only will Elizabeth give birth to a son they are to name John, but he will ‘prepare the way for the Lord’.
Expectant wonder
As a priest, Zechariah would have recognised this phrase from the words of the prophet Isaiah.
‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation”’ (Luke 3:4–6; see also Isaiah 40:3–5).
Zechariah could never have imagined Isaiah was referring to his own son! It is perhaps not surprising that Zechariah’s initial response was doubt because of their age. Consequently, he lost his voice. Zechariah remained silent until John’s birth, but then he ‘was filled with the Holy Spirit’ and gave this prophecy:
‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins’ (Luke 1:68–77).
Zechariah’s words emphasise God’s faithfulness. The waiting is almost over—the promised Messiah is coming! In the final verses of the prophecy, the true nature of what that long wait had been like is made plain. And yet, still it is with thankfulness, gratitude and expectant wonder that Zechariah could say:
‘Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.’ (Luke 1:78–79).
Sound familiar?
‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given … you have shattered the yoke that burdens them … the rod of their oppressor … and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:2–6, abridged).
Hundreds of years after Isaiah first prophesied about the coming Messiah, Zechariah not only echoes the promise but pulls it powerfully into the present. The Prince of Peace is on his way!
Is there something you have waited many years for? Faithfully prayed for? Are you tempted to give up hope of it coming to pass in your lifetime? Is there strength and faith you can borrow from Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story? Invite the Holy Spirit into your meditation on these passages about waiting expectantly. Is there a word or a promise for you this Christmas?
Waiting to see
Following Jesus’ long-awaited birth, Luke records that his parents took him to Jerusalem for the purification offering as required by the law of Moses (Luke 2:21–24). While they were there they met Simeon, who, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, is described as ‘righteous and devout’ (Luke 2:25). Simeon was waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel, and Luke records that ‘It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. (v26)’. Luke explains that it was also the Holy Spirit who led Simeon to the temple that day—clearly, he was a man sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Simeon must have witnessed countless people come to the temple with their newborns during his lifetime, but on this day, he discerns correctly that at long last here is the child he has been waiting to see. Simeon praises God, saying:
‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel’ (Luke 2:29–32).
Waiting expectantly
Simeon was not the only one waiting at the temple to see the Messiah. Luke records that Anna, a prophet, was also there, and that like Zechariah, Elizabeth and Simeon, she was also ‘very old’ (Luke 2:36). Anna was also a woman of God and Luke records that ‘She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying’ (Luke 2:37b). As Simeon was speaking, Anna began praising God: ‘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).
How do you respond when something you have waited for comes to pass? Spontaneous praise? Awe at God’s faithfulness? Enthusiastic testimony?
We live in a world that wants everything now. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see how attached we are to our own human expectations and timetable.
Adele explains that ‘our hands may be open to what we want from God, but our hearts are closed to what he wants to give. Waiting refines our hearts … To wait expectantly and with open hands requires a relinquishment of control that gets at the roots of our motivations, fears and idolatries.’
Often, we wait with expectations rather than expectancy.
‘Expectations are what get us into trouble while we wait,’ explains Adele. ‘We expect God to do things in a certain way—our way! We have expectations about timing—our timing! Expectations bind our happiness to one particular end … but the difference between waiting for expectations to happen and waiting expectantly for this moment to unfold is about being present to what is: this is what matters. What goes on while I wait may become the foundation for some new undreamed-of and unexpected future. The truth is that God doesn’t come to us in our future. God comes now—while we wait.’
Adele wisely affirms that it’s not up to us to make things happen—we can’t make God show up. Saying yes to God’s invitation to wait keeps us alert to the present moment—where we actually live. She continues:
‘Waiting is God’s crucible for transformation. Waiting is how God gets at the idols of our heart. Waiting addresses the things we need, besides God, to be content: money, comfort, expedience, success or control … Do we trust God’s goodness over the long haul, admitting that we don’t always know what is best for ourselves and others? When the heart is filled with expectations, waiting is calculated and close-minded. However, when the heart is expectant, waiting can be spontaneous and anticipatory of the future God desires even if it is different from the one I want.’
Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna… all had expectations about what kind of Messiah Jesus would be. Thankfully, their human expectations were not met, and the child who was born that very first Christmas became so much more—accomplishing infinitely more than they could ever have asked for or imagined!
Advent is here. The promised Messiah has already come. We wait to celebrate once again that God keeps his promises—even the ones that seem to take forever to come to pass.
So, what are you waiting for?
