Waiting

We lit the first candle on the Advent wreath on Sunday. It was the "waiting" candle. The seminarian who preached reminded us that the world is not yet what it will be. He reminded us that we are still waiting for the redemption that was promised (and given) to the world in Jesus. He reminded us that our waiting happens right in the midst of the world's distress. He reminded us, too, that our waiting need not be passive. To wait is not simply to sit around, frittering away our time until a better day comes. To wait with expectant hope is to live actively and fully, to light candles in the darkness and be forces of healing in the world, motivated by the trust that God is at work - that this world is not yet what it will be.

I took notes. I have done a lot of waiting...especially recently. But I am ready for the kind of waiting he described -- active, hopeful, vibrant, lively. The sort of waiting that is fullness of life, even as it expects that a new future is right around the bend.