“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” ~Psalms 27:14
At church, we are refocusing on Christmas. Last week, we learned that Christmas is a time for worship, and this week, we focused on what it means to “wait well.” Waiting is hard. Take a look at a child on Christmas and ask them to wait to open their presents… My brother and I had to do that in 2004 when my youngest sister, Sierra, was born on Christmas day. We waited three days to open our presents! We did, but probably not as well as we should have! As we mature, we should be able to wait with more patience and grace, but a lot of us find it very difficult to wait!! Besides being good manners, what does the Bible say about waiting and what does waiting have to do with Christmas?
It turns out, the Bible says a lot about waiting. Psalms talks about “waiting on the LORD” 25 times, and Isaiah says it 11 times. That is only two books of the Bible! In Isaiah, the Nation of Israel was called to wait on the LORD, because He promised to send a savior one day. Over 600 years later, He fulfilled his promise with the birth of Christ! A lesser known part of the Christmas story is Jesus’ presentation at the Temple for his dedication. In Luke 2:22-38, we witness two people who have waited well. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” ~Luke 2:25. Simeon waited almost his whole life to see the savior of his people, and God was faithful to let him hold baby Jesus. Simeon declares, “for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. ” We no longer wait for the arrival of salvation. We celebrate it at Christmas! So what do we wait for during Christmas (and all other times of the year)? We should be reminded at Christmas not only of the birth and death of Jesus Christ, but also on Christ’s return someday!
The big question and a hard one is how are you waiting? How do we wait well in our daily lives? We can learn how to wait well from the second person in this story. Anna, an 84 year old widow, is at the temple the day Jesus is presented. “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
We can wait well by worshiping, fasting, praying, giving thanks, and sharing the Gospel! We wait at Christmas because the hope for Christ’s return is the greatest gift one can receive.
This beautiful Christmas pillow was made by my mom. We have matching ones! It is a Kimberbell pattern called the Nativity Bench Pillow. If you love applique, Kimberbell patterns may be interesting for you. Each panel is made in the hoop and then pieced together after quilting. It has fairy lights for the twinkle starry light. The large border is the scene from the town of Bethlehem, and the narrow border has the saying “Joy to the World, the Lord has come. Let the Earth receive her King.”
May you continue waiting through worship and prayer in whatever season you find yourself! Stay tuned, I get my new quilting machine tomorrow! Merry Christmas and happy quilting!
Quilt Bus 