Waiting

The pitter patter of big and little feet has finally settled down and I believe my precious little children are off to dream sweet dreams. I have been asked so many questions by their inquisitive minds today that I think my ears are sore. It is nice to be able to just sit in the silence and to really think about the day.

If you read my post from yesterday you know that I have been pondering the following questions:

"Do others see why we celebrate? How will our home look if our celebration is a picture of anticipation and waiting for God's plan to be completed, a picture of joy in the salvation he has begun for us? What visible things will fill our house as we celebrate what God has done through Jesus?"

So to begin to formulate an answer I started to think about the context in which I am asking the questions. Where are we currently in God's story? Well, we are are no longer waiting for the Messiah. God sent his Son to live among us. That is why we celebrate Christmas. It doesn't mean though that we are finished waiting because we are still waiting for Jesus to come again. So where does that put us in God's story? Well, I think we are in the middle somewhere. I spent sometime earlier today looking at a scripture that Noel Piper suggests is a clear description of what we look back to during the Advent season.

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."

1 Peter 1:10-12 (NIV)

It is a great passage, even cooler if you start at the beginning of the chapter and read right until verse 12. Or if you are like me and you see that verse 13 starts with a "Therefore", you read on. I love it when it says "therefore" in the bible. I think it means in light of what you just read pay attention you are now about to learn something exciting! So all day I have been thinking about the "therefore" in this verse. It's exciting because I think it gives me some insight into my questions that I have been pondering. I have read it in all different translations today. I know I am geek.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;" 1 Peter 1"13-15 (NIV)

Today's reading was a good reminder for me that yes, the Christmas season is remembering those that waited in faith for God's salvation while at the same time we are waiting to meet Jesus when he comes again. Nevertheless, what I learned the most today was that I have things to do while I wait I need to "prepare my mind for action" and as the message paraphrase puts it "let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness." Those are some of those things that I should be incorporating into our Christmas traditions. Not an easy start! Oh well. Tomorrow, I am going to look at how we currently put Jesus in the centre of all our traditions.

I will leave you with a song that Jason wrote a few years ago called "Waiting." Enjoy:

Waiting