The Meaning is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent

The Meaning is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent – Paula Gooder

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Extract:

One of the challenging features of Advent is that it is based on the command to wait. In Advent we face a whole four weeks, dedicated, so we are told, to the task of waiting.

In our modern world such a season seems almost laughable. Twenty-first century society is honed to avoid as much waiting as possible: don't wait for the money, buy now; no need to write a letter, send an email or text and receive an answer inminutes if not seconds.

It might seem that the best Advent anthem might be a grand chorus of the song 'Why are we waiting?' The answer to this question is no trivial response but cuts to the heart of much of our world's need. We wait because in the waiting we find new meaning: a greater insight into the heart of God and God's expectations for each one of us.

Advent encourages us to re-learn the lost art of waiting. An art that helps us to discern what is really worth having and to treasure it for all it is worth. If, during Advent, we can re-learn the art of waiting, we may discover that, in fact, it is an art that gives depth and meaning to the whole of our lives.