Wednesday Word: Waiting

“You keep us waiting. You, the God of all time, want us to wait. For the right time in which to discover who we are, where we are to go, who will be with us, and what we must do. So thank you . . . for the waiting time.” – John Bell

We are at the end of Ordinary Time, and quickly approaching the season of Advent – that season of patient activity and active waiting. We also continue to be in the season of COVID-19 – or the season of coronatide, as some of my friends have labeled this particular time, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Church's naming of seasons like Christmastide, Eastertide, or Whitsuntide.

We became unfortunately familiar with the coronavirus this past spring, Lent in particular, and we tried to tie that in somehow with what we were experiencing. We are called to prepare for the days of Holy Week and Easter through a season of penitence and fasting. During the Lenten season we are asked to fast from something and use that time for self-examination, repentance, prayer, self-denial, and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. As we moved through Lent, and then into Holy Week and Eastertide, many clergy put forth the idea that the coronavirus was gifting us with an extended Lent. We were being given a time to fast from certain church activities, to reevaluate what we did and why we did them, and to consider new ways of accomplishing the mission of the church.

That season extended well past Eastertide, past Whitsuntide, and into the Season after Pentecost. And it wasn't until the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost when we were finally able to regather as a congregation, even though in limited numbers. That lasted until just after November 1 when we were forced to once again limit worship to online only with just a few people in the building.

It has been a long Lenten season, this coronatide.

But as we prepare to move into Advent, it occurred to me that maybe this coronatide isn't a Lenten season or experience after all. Yes, it is causing us to fast from corporate worship. Yes, it is causing most of us to fast from participating in Holy Communion. But more than causing us to fast, it's causing us to wait.

We are a resurrection people. But we are also an Advent people. We are waiting for the coming of the Messiah. We are waiting for the fulfillment of the kingdom. We are waiting for the time of regathering. We are waiting to feel the touch of a friend, a hug, a handshake.

Coronatide isn't an extended season of Lent; it's an extended season of Advent. As we wait, let us wait actively. Let us prepare ourselves for the joyful coming of connections, of friendships, of touch, of regathering. Let us be like the five wise bridesmaids who were wise not because they gathered together apart from everyone waiting for the bridegroom to arrive now, but who were wise because they gathered to wait and were ready with enough oil to shine through the night when finally called by the bridegroom to gather.

May we give thanks for the waiting, and may we be ready to enter the festival hall when called.

Blessings,

Todd+