Calvary Episcopal Church
Memphis, Tennessee
THE CHRONICLE
December 1, 2002
Volume 47, No. 41

What Are You Waiting For this Advent?
The highway was nothing but a huge ten-mile-long parking lot. Rays of heat were
rising off the pavement (along with steamy exhaust fumes from a few hundred idling
truck, car, and SUV engines) adding immeasurably to the heat and frustration
building up within the bodies and psyches of drivers and passengers. Somewhere up
ahead a traffic accident was being sorted out by State Troopers and paramedics and, as sorry as everybody felt for whoever may have been killed or injured, tempers were short because the delay had now been longer than an hour. Plans and schedules were being shelved or dramatically changed as voices tinged with unhappiness and anger could be heard shouting a myriad of cell phone conversations addressed to bosses, spouses, and clients.

Finally, ambulances are heard and seen speeding away from the scene, presumably
carrying the injured to nearby hospitals. After a few moments of solemn reflection
and probably some prayers of thanksgiving that the accident didn't involve us or our family, the traffic jam slowly begins to move again. One poor soul is having trouble with an overheated radiator and suddenly finds himself to be the cork in a brand new bottleneck. Horns begin to blare. A window is rolled down and a shout is heard, "Come on, buddy! Let's move it! What are you waiting for?"

Waiting. Is there anything more frustrating in the whole world? It's so infuriating to
have all our carefully planned schedules disrupted by the intrusion of something that we can't control or change. We're just stuck. Everything grinds to a halt while we wait. It all seems such a pointless waste of time.

But wait! Let's just slow down for a minute and think again. Is waiting only and
always a negative thing? Can there be anything positive about it?

The liturgical season of Advent is all about waiting-expectantly looking forward to
the arrival of God among us. Advent means approach, coming, arrival, landing,
disembarkation, or alighting. It's like when we're meeting someone that we really
love and can't wait to see, who is coming in on a flight from the West Coast. We're
out there at the airport, full of expectation and joy, checking every plane that lands, scanning passengers to see that familiar face that tells us our waiting has been rewarded. And then, at last, they're actually here! All our waiting has been worth every minute. Our frustration totally disappears because of the excitement of
holding close in embrace the one who means everything to us.

Are you feeling "honked at" and "shouted at" by all of the premature anticipation of
the Christmas holidays? Maybe you are one of those who wants to slow down and
truly savor the time of waiting. Maybe you're one of those rare individuals who can
put waiting time to good use-making sure that you're clear about exactly what it is
that you are expecting. Do you know whose Advent Christmas really marks? Is it the emptiness of Santa Claus, the Spirit of Yuletide, or frequent flyer miles? If so, you might just miss the One who really is coming this Advent. "What are you waiting for?"
~Bob Hansel

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