It’s hard to wait. Christmas is good at making us wait. Do you remember Alvin and the Chipmunks?
Christmas, Christmastime is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We’ve been good, but we can’t last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
In a recent CCK chapel, I asked the children if they enjoyed waiting on Santa or if they were ready for him to be here. You can imagine the ferocity with which they answered. “WE’RE READY!”
You can also imagine who else was ready for Jesus to be born: Mary! Never mind riding on the back of a donkey; never mind the no place for them in the inn; never mind the particular difficulties of her pregnancy – as far as I can tell, every pregnancy seems like a feat! Long about the thirtieth week, mothers are carrying around the weight of the world!
It’s hard to wait. When everything is heavy, when everything is harder than it used to be and harder than it will be. It’s hard to wait.
Mary has been waiting for a long time. Just think, it’s not like she felt the baby Jesus kicking as soon as Gabriel disappeared back to heaven. Mary had to wait. And no matter how faithful, she likely wondered, “Was that real? What if it’s not true? What if it IS?”
And even after Jesus was born, Mary had to wait to find out, “What does it mean that his kingdom will never end? What if his kingdom never starts?”
You might say that for thirty years, Mary waited on the promises of God. I imagine that sometimes she believed, even when God felt far away. I imagine that sometimes she scoffed, even when she had every reason to see that God was living right there under her roof.
In CCK chapel, I told the children that if they are having a hard time waiting, they can remember that Mary is waiting with them, that nobody wants Christmas to come sooner than her! I can tell you the same thing. When you are waiting on the promises of God, Mary is waiting with you. When you are counting the candles of Advent, present to the holiness of this season, Mary is waiting with you. When you are counting the minutes, ready to burn the greens and pack up the lights, Mary is right there with you. When you hear the voice of the angel, clear as a bell and when you are sure that the whole thing was a dream, Mary is right there with you.
When we were children, we wanted Christmas to come, right this very minute. We’re not much different today. Waiting on the promises of God is not easy. But, like the gifts hidden in the top of the coat closet, those promises WILL arrive… right on time.
Hurry fast.
Please Christmas, don’t be late!
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Join us for worship this Christmas. Details and schedule can be found at christchurchcharlotte.org/christmas-worship
