How do we wait?

Micah 4:1-5New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

In days to come
    the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
    and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,
    and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples,
    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war any more;
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
    and no one shall make them afraid;
    for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk,
    each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
    forever and ever.

Advent has always been one of those liturgical seasons that I didn't take seriously enough. Much of the reason for that is because it gets so lost in the shuffle of our extended Christmas season, which begins lately even before Thanksgiving.  Our way of preparing for Christmas as a culture has little to do with the advent of the Incarnate God coming to dwell among us.  Our Western way of preparation also doesn't really afford us much time for reflection and focus for which the season of Advent is meant. This year, partially because our church of St. Paul's Lutheran, has had a very special intentional celebration of Advent, and partially because I've been leading a course on the Advent Conspiracy, Advent has been more on my mind and heart than ever.  It's made me ask some questions that I think Advent is meant to draw out of us: "What are we waiting for?" "Who are we waiting for?" "Why are we waiting?" and "What is this waiting preparing us for?"

This text from Micah answers some of these questions I think.

What are we waiting for? For the mountain of the Lord's house to be established as the highest of mountains and for people to stream to it.

Who are we waiting for? The Lord: God in the mountain; God in God's house; God in Jerusalem.

Why are we waiting? For God's judgment.  For God's arbitration.  For peace.  For a time when no one will be afraid.

What is this waiting preparing us for? To walk in the name of our God forever and ever.

That kind of preparation does take a whole season.  (It takes, arguably, a whole lifetime!)

As we enter into an advent that is often pushed aside by a different kind of Christmas season, I encourage you to ask some questions yourself as to what it means for your life to be waiting for the Lord to come.

Help me to wait for your coming, Lord Jesus.  Amen.