Reflection for the first week of Advent 2021

Reading:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 NIV

Reflection: There is so much within this passage from Corinthians, that resonates with us today, especially as we begin this season of Advent. Paul’s message to the Church at Corinth is one of thanksgiving for the presence of God’s gracious spirit, and a reminder of a future where God’s Kingdom will be re-established in all its glory. Until then, there must be a time of waiting. And of course, for us today, Advent is also a time for waiting. One cannot help wondering if Paul’s directive to wait was not met with a more positive response then, than it would be now. In reality, how many of us would be willing to obey the command to wait? Waiting is not something that comes to us easily. Most of the time, it is seen as something passive, a simple cessation of activity, or a source of frustration and irritation. Antipathy to waiting is exacerbated, and in some cases even encouraged by the world we live in. All around us, we encounter situations where waiting or having to wait is perceived as something to be avoided if at all possible. The ‘why wait,’ and the ‘buy now’ message. The fast communications via mobile phones and e-mail, means that waiting has become, an increasingly strange notion in today’s world. We have become accustomed to immediacy and swift action, resulting in an inability to really appreciate and savour the time spent waiting. And in so doing, we miss what is happening in the present, in the here and now, and the feeling of peace and joy that brings. To paraphrase the words of the Anglican priest, R.S. Thomas. The real and profound moments in our lives occur when we stop and wait. They happen ‘in-between’ activity, where ‘truth lurks in the moment between the out breath and the in breath.’ If we are able to recognize and accept this, then the waiting during Advent becomes a special and invaluable part of our Christian journey. A gift from the Spirit that draws us into a deeper, truer encounter with our faith, with those around us, and with God. During Advent we are invited into the present moment; to be still yet active, joyful yet steadfast. For it is only through this period of waiting, that we can truly embrace God’s love for us.

Prayer:
Moments of great calm,
Kneeling before an altar
Of wood in a stone church
In summer, waiting for the God
To speak; the air a staircase
For silence; the sun’s light
Ringing me, as though I acted
A great role. And the audiences
Still; all that close throng
Of spirits waiting, as I,
For the message.
Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting. R. S. Thomas,