“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122:1
Dear Redeemer Family:
There is this old question which arises whenever the moment of decision comes. The question is, “What are we waiting for?” It can be an impetus to action, or it can be a realization of confusion. Too often, it is a realization of confusion.
I had a weird realization a couple of days ago, and it was about Black Friday, which as I write this, is still a couple of days away. Black Friday, which is really a fairly new name for the phenomenon of the retail sales that follow Thanksgiving Day. Some people see those sales as the beginning of Christmas. Sorry, they aren’t. Some people leave their homes, families, and even dinners, and campout at their favorite stores on Thanksgiving Day to await the Black Friday stores’ openings. That is the acme of craziness and missing the point of Thanksgiving entirely. It also seems to be an indication of covetousness, if not greed. That is not what struck me. What I noticed was that this year, “Black Friday” appeared on my cellphone’s calendar app, like a national holiday. That was different. But later, I noticed a couple of stores that I know, advertising “Black Friday Month.” Now, that is temptation and greed wrapped up together, I believe. That is confusion being stretched to the maximum.
What are we waiting for this season? Is it to get into the shopping mania between two major holidays? These are religious holidays, aren’t they? Do we look forward to worshipping in retail settings? That is the confusion. And we have been fed this mania for years. Let’s go back to our roots.
What are we waiting for this season? We are waiting for the coming of the Lord, His Advent. We are waiting to celebrate the birth of the Christ. And we are awaiting the coming of the Lord’s return in glory. Advent is a twofold wait. We wait and prepare for the birth of the baby, and the return in glory. True, that may be confusing as well. But those are the themes of the season!
What are we waiting for? “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” We are invited to spend some waiting in the Lord’s house this season, to be strengthened in faith, to anticipate his arrival. And invite a friend. They may well get more out of it than they knew. Amen.
Pastor Rose