The Season of Waiting
So much in our world is changing. It is nice to have some constants like the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. Even when trouble comes, we know it will not always last. The liturgical calendar offers us some constants. Each year ushers in Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter Pentecost, and Ordinary Times.
As we enter the season of Advent. It is a season of new beginnings but also a time of waiting. Waiting, no one likes waiting. Children don’t want to wait to open presents under the tree. The idea of waiting challenges them throughout their lives. They can’t wait to grow up. They can’t wait to drive a car. Nor can they wait to move away from home. Waiting is challenging for adults as well. We don’t want to wait in traffic, at a doctor’s office, or in a food line.
Believe it or not, there can be blessings in the waiting. The blessing of Advent is that we can slow down from our fast-paced lives and see what God would have us do with this one precious life.
Waiting can often feel like an inconvenience. The rush to complete to-do lists, attend holiday gatherings, and prepare for celebrations can leave us feeling exhausted before Christmas even arrives. But when we allow ourselves to truly experience Advent, we find the blessing. Advent invites us to pause, breathe, and remember the One at the heart of it all: Jesus Christ.
In the stillness of Advent, we are reminded that the first Christmas was not about lavish parties or endless busyness. It was quiet and humble—a Savior born in a stable, Emmanuel, “God with us.” Jesus came not in grandeur but in simplicity, a child born to an ordinary couple who said yes to God’s plans.
What if we embraced that same simplicity this Advent? What if we intentionally slowed down, set aside distractions, and made room in our hearts for the miracle of Christ’s presence?
This season, let’s choose moments of quiet reflection over constant activity. Let’s light a candle, read a Scripture passage, or pray as we wait. Let’s enjoy the company of family. Be the first to reconcile and say I love you. Reflect on how blessed we are to have one another. Let’s remember that the heart of Christmas is not found in perfectly wrapped gifts or elaborate plans but in the unfailing love of Jesus, the child born a manger.
Wait in God’s presence. Wait in moments of silence to hear God speak. Let Advent be a time to reset, to turn our focus back to the true gift of Christmas: Jesus, our Savior and King. There is a blessing in waiting. The Psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
In our waiting, we very well may experience the blessings the Advent season promises to bring: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Have a blessed Advent and a joyous Christmas!
Pastor Candy
Just A Little More Time
I heard it in the news. On the first weekend in November, we will roll back the clocks by one hour to end daylight savings time. Of course, this is a temporary change until spring, when we move the clocks forward again. Although the Senate passed a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, eliminating the need to switch back and forth, the bill has never been enacted. But setting back the clocks always gets me excited. There will be an additional hour to sleep. It is just an hour, but sometimes we only need just a little more time.
It got me thinking about the times in scripture when people have requested just a little more time. Joshua was leading the army of Israel in a battle (Joshua 10:11-14). They needed a little more daylight to defeat their enemy. Joshua prayed, and the sun and moon stood still for a full day, allowing Israel to win the battle.
Another prayer answered was that of King Hezekiah. In Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah took ill and was near the point of death. The prophet Isaiah visited Hezekiah, informing him to get his house in order, as he was going to die. After the prophet left, King Hezekiah prayed earnestly, reminding God of his devotion to God. He pleaded for a little more time. God spoke again to the prophet with instructions to tell Hezekiah that God heard his prayer, saw his tears, and granted him 15 more years.
If you had an extra hour, a full day, or 15 years, what would you do?
Time can be spent watching children grow up, holding a grandchild, placing your feet on a sandy beach, or making that longed-for journey to the continent of Africa or some other dream that has been put on hold.
Some of us may make a commitment to follow a calling and spend this priceless extra time in solitude and prayer with our Lord.
A little more time…sometimes, God hears this prayer and grants us the time—God is gracious in that way. Yet, we know that tomorrow is not promised. We only have today. Today is the day. What will we do today?
I hope you spend this precious gift of time allowing God’s love to guide you. Love as you have been loved. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Give thanks for all you have received. God loves us with a generous, life-giving, eternal love. Oh, how blessed we are. How about we give God just a little more time?
Have You Noticed the Trees?
We come to the year’s fall season, another opportunity to appreciate God’s handiwork. The earth tones and colors of fall are beautiful. Take the trees that have turning leaves in such a variety of colors: green, red, orange, yellow, brown, and all the shades in between. The colorful array of nature gives us a glimpse into the intricately detail-oriented designs of God our creator. His detailed care is with nature, humans, and all of creation—birds, bugs, animals, and so on come in a vast array. I like the variety, but he could have given fewer bugs. But I suppose the critters that delight in bugs appreciate variety, too.
God has showered special favor on humankind. We have been given the privilege of being made in God’s image, given dominion and stewardship over creation. When you talk about diversity, there is no one just like us. We may have similar features and mannerisms, but we are all unique. Even when we look at twins and triplets, each person has his or her own identity, even down to the fingerprints. The Master Designer did that!
I imagine God in his design element thinking, “I can’t wait to see their faces when they happen upon this.” Humans think we have the market for creativity, but God first set it all up for us to explore and figure things out.
God wants us to enjoy this gift of life. We have been created to enjoy God, one another, and all creation. In just a few days, Clifton will celebrate God’s creation with the blessings of the animals. This ceremony ties in with the celebration of St. Francis of Assisi, who is known for his love of God and all of creation. The blessing of the animals will be a simple ceremony with a little music, prayers of thanksgiving, and a prayer of blessings. It should be a nice day of fellowship with our neighbors.
We often get riled up about change, but changes are so much a part of life. The changing of the seasons is a simple reminder of that. Change will come, and some changes we may enjoy more than others. If we are wise, we will intentionally enjoy whatever and whoever God has provided. It is only for a season we will have this pleasure. Therefore, let us pay attention to the beauty all around us.
Keep It Simple
Some friends and I met for lunch at Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House across the street from Oakland Cemetery. It was a beautiful day to dine on the rooftop. Towards the end of our time together, I was asked how can we pray for you. It caught me by surprise, but I readily shared some concerns. Our conversation drifted into other matters, and I thought the prayers would be delayed until the couple were home. After a while, the inviter returned to the invitation, and we all held hands.
Now, we prayed together before our meal. It was short and sweet. This prayer was one where each person lent their voice to the thanks and petitions. It seemed to be the most natural thing at the time. However, after reflecting on it, some thoughts came to mind. One, it seemed the other customers were quiet during the prayer. Did they get silent out of respect for the Holy One? Or was I so attentive to the conversation with God that I tuned them out? Also, it came to mind that this meeting could have been a dinner church gathering.
Sandra Armstead has been speaking with a few of us about dinner church. We may want to look into that type of ministry for Clifton and our community. Dining on the rooftop with Christian friends in a comfortable setting was great for me. If dinner church can be like that, many, particularly the unchurched, may find it inviting.
During my meal with friends, we briefly discussed scripture. It just happened to be thrown into the conversation. For the most part, our sharing covered how things were going in our lives, families, and churches, as well as our hopes and dreams for the future. We ended our time together with prayer. I left feeling fed both spiritually and physically.
My friends shared that their church is growing—not so much with the in-person worship. In-person worship has not recovered from COVID. However, small group gatherings are growing, and young families are in great numbers. It seems young families are longing to be in a relationship with God. The worship services at my friend’s church are kept simple. There are no apostle creeds, Lord’s Prayer, or other elements of traditional worship. Their target audience is those who would not want to go to traditional church. Therefore, they keep church simple with music, a message, and prayer.
As the Clifton family considers sharing Jesus’s love with a generation not committed to churchgoing, maybe we should lean more into our mission of being the church outside the church. Small group gatherings around meals, events, or topics of interest may be the answer. Just think about the times Jesus has shown up in intimate settings. Wherever we experience the presence of God, it is Church!
When [Jesus] was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” – Luke 24:30-32 NIV
