St. Bartholomew Church

Waiting is a natural part of life it seems.  We all have to do it - and for the most part, none of us like it.  It's an annoyance, it's a waste of time, it stands in the way of what we really need to be doing. 

          We wait at the bank, we wait at the grocery store, we wait in traffic - we wait we wait we wait - and what tends to be our attitude during those times?  Well, that probably shouldn't be said in Church. 

We are, all of us, such an impatient people.  And in our impatience - we can miss alot. 

Advent is a difficult time for us.  Running around, trying to plan, trying to shop, trying to keep people in our family happy all while we are going completely insane with it all and just trying to keep the illusion of a smile on our faces. 

So much needs to be prepared for Christmas - but it tends to be that with all our preparations we forget to prepare the most important thing, ourselves. 

Step back. Chill out.  Ride the wave, man. 

This is supposed to be a time of holy waiting for us.  And it tends to be anything but holy.  Because every year we insist on making it an absolute train wreck. 

          Jesus tells us to be ready.  Not just for warm and fuzzy baby Jesus in Bethlehem, but also for Jesus when he comes again.  And our preparation for both of those is the same.  It means calming down.  Taking a deep breath.  And being still for a while to actually examine our lives, and make room for God in them.  All the running around, all the craziness, all the shopping and cursing as we put up the Christmas tree - it all distracts us from what is most important. 

          Make time this season to sit and be still.  Don't tell me you can't, because you can, and so can I, if we choose to.  If you are not praying with your family every night these next four weeks, start doing it.  We can make time for everything else, let's make time for something that's actually important.  If we are not taking five minutes everyday to spend time in quiet ourselves, start doing it.  Do not allow the urgent things of this season, to crowd out the important things of this season.  

Take a deep breath.  Christmas is 25/24 days away.  Let's make sure we are truly ready for it.  God help us all. +