“What are you waiting for?” This question can be interpreted and used in many instances. It could be used as an encouragement to a friend struggling with a decision that we think is incredibly simple. It could be addressed to the driver in front of us who isn’t driving as quickly or correctly as we think they should be (I am guilty of this occasionally), or it could be asked of us all during this Advent season. What, exactly, are we waiting for?
Is it Christmas Eve service with family? The feast that follows? Seeing the reaction on a loved one’s face when they open our gift(s) to them? There are many things we excitedly anticipate leading up to Christmas Day and many times the main thing we wait for eludes us in all the hustle and bustle. I am certainly guilty of getting caught up in the planning, the schedules, all of the kerfuffle that losing my focus creates. I confess there have been many Advent seasons where the promise of Isaiah 9: 6-7 haven’t really taken hold of my imagination and heart like they should. “For to us a son is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Zeal, that is what I lack sometimes. How much deeper will the true meaning of a God that loves me so much that would become flesh and blood to save me from my sin took hold of me as much in Advent as it does on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Thankfully, the promise of our Messiah still holds no matter how much zeal we do or don’t have. The coming of the Savior is about how much God loves us, it doesn’t depend on anything we say or do.
It is my sincere hope and prayer that the coming of our Messiah, and all it means for us in this life and the life to come, provide you with a zealous Advent.
Matthew Konow ‘91,
Chief Advancement Officer