Advent 6

Waiting for answers, waiting for clarity, waiting to understand when we are suffering is the worst. And yet in these intimate words of Jesus, we get the hint that one day we’ll know. 

But when? 

When will the Spirit of truth tell us what to make of it all? Because we’re still here, amid the uncertainty, amid the not knowing. We are here struggling with doubt and fear of what this world is coming to, what our lives will be like, what the future holds for our loved ones. Waiting for our cure. Waiting for the job. Waiting for things to feel easier. But perhaps all of this waiting is teaching us something about Advent.   

There’s a powerful story that I often return to when I’m thinking about the uneasiness of waiting. It’s grounded in the beliefs and actions of a World War II-era German theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. After his plot failed to overthrow Hitler, he wrote these powerful words from prison: “Not all can wait—certainly not those who are satisfied, contented, and feel that they live in the best of all possible worlds! Those who learn to wait are uneasy about their way of life, but yet have seen a vision of greatness in the world of the future and are patiently expecting its fulfillment. The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”

We can experience a terrible sense of unease when we wait. And we are not alone in that feeling. The unwed Mary didn’t know what was going to happen when she got pregnant. Joseph didn’t know what would happen when he accepted Mary. The wisemen did not know what they would find at the end of their journey, disobeying Herod. So perhaps we keep good company with all those who are learning to wait with hope.

https://courses.katebowler.com/courses/advent-devotional-2024/lessons/week-1-2/topics/day-6-2024/