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Fourth Sunday in Advent – December 18, 2011
posted on December 18, 2011 by Musings
Fourth Sunday in Advent – Waiting
Luke 1:35b
‘Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.’ — Simone Weil
We are now well into the season of Advent–the time of waiting.
For many of us, waiting is difficult. We want and expect results immediately. To wait often seems to be both an inconvenient and inefficient use of time.
Waiting, however, is the crucible of transformation–the space wherein desires are perfected. In awaiting the arrival of a loved one (as I now await Leslie’s return to Bangladesh on Christmas Eve), ones longing deepens, gaining clarity and focus. In the case of pregnancy, what may seem like endless months of waiting are in actuality nine months of perfectly choreographed creativity!
I remember fondly the deep joy I felt in being pregnant during the season of Advent for the first time, while carrying our third child, Stewart. Together with Mary, I awaited the unfolding of a promise that was sure to be fulfilled–the gift of a child that was undoubtedly to come. Silently changes were wrought within us, and in the darkness of our wombs, our hope took form. At Mary’s side, I felt the first stirrings of life, and thrilled to see occasional hints of my son’s heels and elbows pressing outwards against my abdominal wall. As we walked, our sons were rocked, and as we spoke, they listened, allowing them to recognize our voices at birth and take immediate comfort in the warmth of our milk. Nine long months, yes, yet every moment of it was essential to the perfection of the whole.
What the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you….The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” he says to each of us. The Holy Spirit has come upon us, and is at this moment overshadowing us, and we, as Mary, must decide whether or not we will yield to the inner workings of the Spirit. Hence, we are not the only ones who are waiting during Advent; the Spirit, too, is waiting, for our response. Without this personal annunciation and conception, our own Advent journey has yet to begin.
May God bless each of us to respond as Mary to the promise of this most sacred gift,
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Read the full passage at Luke 1:26-38,
Prayer: O God, thank you for coming to us first as an infant–vulnerable, trusting and totally dependent. Grant us like humble hearts, eager to yield. Transform us this Advent into bearers of Christ, incarnations of the promise that you were and will always be. Amen.
Today’s reflection was written by Cindy Morgan, a member of First Presbyterian Church serving as a medical mission partner in Dhaka in Bangladesh. To learn more about the work of Cindy and her husband Les, see Morgan’s Mission Ministry . To learn more about the connection between First Presbyterian Church and our partners in Bangladesh, see our FPC Outreach Blog which shares the experiences of the visits this summer of First Presbyterian pilgrims David Henderson, Anna Gnann, Madeline Haynie and Chris Webb.
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