As we complete the first week in Advent, we find ourselves waiting.

Advent is about waiting and preparing for the coming of Jesus.  As we are in our 9 months of COVID 19, waiting takes on a different form and meaning.  We are waiting for a vaccine. We are waiting to see our friends and family again. We are waiting to be in person worship again. We are waiting for a time we don’t have to worry if we have our mask with us or not.  We are waiting for what was normal 9 months ago to come again.

Advent is also about preparing.  As we await the time when it is safe to return to a community life let us not be passive in our waiting.  Prepare for when we will be able to be together again.  Engage in conversations on what church, personal, family and community life will look like after the pandemic. Take steps to be prepared for that new way of being church and family.

In the meantime, we will wait. We will do our part to keep the whole community safe and prepared.

Let us pray for those who are waiting.

Faithful God, your promises stand unshaken through all generations.  Renew us in hope, that we may be awake, alert, and prepared as we watch for the glorious return of Jesus Christ.  Guide us in our waiting and   to be prepared not just for return of our savior but for the next steps of each day. 

Give us grace and patience in this time of waiting. Our patience appears to be thin lately. We grumble and fret over what will happen next.  Let us find the places of peace where we can take a breath and know your presence.  We know we are not the only ones who feel this way. Guide us in ways that we can reach out and touch those who are finding the Christmas and Pandemic season too much and overwhelming.

We await and watch for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our redeemer and savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.