Active Waiting in the Season of Advent
Some thoughts on doing more than just passing the time before the gifts go under the tree...
People of the ancient world believed in the idea of “thin spaces,” physical locations where it was believed that the gods could be more easily encountered than elsewhere in the world. Depending on the culture, “thin spaces” included temples, mountains, or other significant locations. This same idea can be found in our Bibles, such as when the prophet Isaiah declared that “many peoples will say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3). The idea present in that text was that God could be more easily sought in (but was not limited to) a particular location in Jerusalem to which the nations would one day walk. We also see this belief at play in the dispute over the proper temple mount in Jesus’s discussion with the Samaritan woman in John’s Gospel (John 4:19-26). There Jesus teaches that the “thin space” at which God is encountered is not a building, but the true worship of God led by the Spirit.
These concepts can seem quite odd to modern (and especially western) readers who are far removed from the days of sacred shrines and temples. But while many of us tend to not think of God as “closer” at certain locations, many of us feel that God is “closer” to us during certain times. During these seasons our spirits often become more in tune with what God has done in Christ, perhaps because these seasons align with key events in the life of our Savior. And so we might refer to the Advent season as a sort of “thin time.” During Advent we draw closer to Jesus by looking back to his first coming and looking forward to his eventual return. This backwards and forwards focus makes Advent a season of active waiting, expectation, and (re)directing our affections towards Jesus in the hope that just as he came to rescue us from sin, he will one day return to restore us from death.
Actively Awaiting Jesus
The Apostle Paul describes the idea of “active waiting” when he says:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4, NIV
Paul challenges us to look back at what Jesus has already done for us and look forward to what awaits us in our shared future with him. As people who have been buried with Christ in baptism, we have been raised with him through faith (Colossians 2:11-15). We are therefore no longer held captive to the powers of sin and death. Jesus’s victory over these forces is assured by his resurrection from the dead. Yet our full participation in that victory awaits his future return. Our life in all its fullness is now hidden with Christ.
The weeks leading up to Christmas bring with them the stress of keeping gifts hidden from loved ones. In my family’s case that includes children who thankfully have not yet discovered the top shelf in our closet. But the hiding of gifts and a life hidden with Christ are two very different things. It is not as if God has wrapped up our eternal life in a Jesus-shaped box with a little bow and a label that reads “Do Not Open Until Dec. 25th.” And our task is not to sit around wondering what is “inside the box” (or periodically shaking it to hear the noise its contents make) until we die. Nor is it our hope as Jesus-followers to escape from this world and join some utopia in the clouds where everyone has a toga and a harp.
Instead, our anticipating and “waiting” are opportunities to direct (and re-direct) our thoughts, attention, and affections towards God and Christ rather than to the “stuff” of this world. There is work to be done in this world. Setting our hearts on “things above” can help us to keep this world’s pleasures in proper perspective while we actively await the Lord’s return.
Transformation through the Waiting
“Holy waiting” is no easy task during the Christmas season. The pleasures of gift-giving (and gift-getting), holiday planning, and other thrills of the season flood our schedules, our radios, televisions, computers, and smartphones. Finding the time to “wait” is a hard task at any point of the year, but it perhaps most challenging during these next few weeks. Furthermore, this time of year yields an entire arsenal of advertising designed to convince us that the season is all about “unrestrained materialism,” occasionally filtered through the idea that the best way to please our loved ones is by providing them with the most lavish gifts.
In the face of such pressure, we must remind ourselves daily that our ultimate sense of self is found with Jesus Christ, rather than in our possessions or other status symbols. Because we have chosen to follow Jesus, our lives are now wrapped up in the story of the crucified and risen Lord and Savior rather than the American myth that “stuff” is what gives life meaning.
Daily reminders that “our life is now hidden with Christ in God” can take many forms in this Advent season. One especially helpful way is to use seasonally appropriate devotionals, books, or videos. Good resources such as those listed below equip the people of God for recognizing our place in God’s grand redemptive narrative. They remind us to hope for God’s restoration of all things through Christ, to be changed by the love of a redeemer who came to serve rather than be served, to direct our joy towards his future coming, and to pray for the lasting peace of Jesus that brings healing to the nations.
The Advent season challenges us to be aware of the “already, but not yet” nature of Christ’s kingdom. Our active waiting and preparation to celebrate Christmas Day is a short-term way of training us to live each moment in anticipation of his return. May we as a community of faith center and re-center our affections towards God and Christ, so that our holiday festivities, our gift-giving, and all else will be touched by the truly good news that Jesus – who humbled himself and was himself exalted - is Lord.
“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
Acts 3:21, NIV
Advent Season Resources
Devotionals
Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer Book (Volume 2: Advent Through Pentecost) by Arthur Boers, Barbara Gingerich, Eleanor Kreider, John Rempel and Mary Schertz. Available as a smartphone app (“Take Our Moments and Our Days”) and at MennoMedia
Advent for Everyone: A Journey with the Apostles (A Daily Devotional) by N.T. Wright. Available at Westminster John Knox Books
Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas by Jan L. Richardson. Available at Amazon (Kindle)
Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas by Plough Publishing House. Available at Plough
Expecting Emmanuel: Eight Women Who Prepared the Way by Joanna Harader. Available at MennoMedia
The Holy in the Night: Finding Freedom in a Season of Waiting by Shannon W. Dycus. Available at MennoMedia.
Child-Friendly Devotionals
Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Collection by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Accessible at Sally Lloyd-Jones.com [meant to be used with a print copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible]
Advent at Home by Mennonite Church USA. Accessible at MennoniteUSA.org
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp. Available at Ann Voskamp.com
The King of Christmas: All God’s Children Wait for Jesus by Todd R. Haines & Natasha Kennedy. Available at Lexham Press
Articles & Blog Posts
Savoring Advent by Heather Brickner. Accessible at BICUS.org
Waiting: An Advent Meditation by Bob Beaty. Accessible at BICUS.org
The Longing of Advent by Greg Boyd. Accessible at Reknew.org
Meditations for Advent by Duke Divinity School. Accessible at Duke Divinity
Videos & Podcasts
The Gospel of the Kingdom by The Bible Project. Accessible at TheBibleProject.com
Word Study Series: The Advent Season by The Bible Project. Accessible at TheBibleProject.com