Hurry up and wait! We all have had those experiences in our lives. The upcoming fall contains several ‘hurry up and wait’ opportunities in my life. I am ready to begin my last season with the Trinity Choir, from rehearsals to leading worship. However, the search for your next director means that I must wait. Two upcoming vacations with Ron are on the horizon, but I must wait. And lastly, my retirement looms on the horizon, but again, I must wait. Those of you who know me well, know that waiting is NOT one of my virtues, and in fact, may be one of my biggest weaknesses.
As a congregation, we have experienced many ‘hurry up and wait’ situations: the long vacancy leading to the call of Pastor Hans, renovations to our facilities (the seemingly endless HVAC work, the auditorium project including the All Saints Room, and Welcome Center), restarting the Sunday education hour after a summer hiatus, the successful hiring of my successor. In our personal lives we anxiously await results from tests, safe journeys for loved ones, answers to our prayers, and the list goes on.
But, as a Christian, do you live daily waiting for Jesus’ return? If I am honest with myself, there are so many distractions in my life that I do not. Try to imagine yourself as one of the early disciples of Jesus. Someone who expected the second coming to be a few weeks or years down the road rather than thousands of years. When that expectation dragged on well past their timeline, they surely must have grown weary. I can imagine that their spirits lagged and their hearts grew heavy.
Self-admittedly, too often I wait impatiently. I grow anxious, grumpy, and frustrated. I wonder what my outlook would be if I waited expectantly, more like a child counting the days until Christmas rather than counting hours until a difficult day is through? Like me counting the days until I see one of my grown sons rather than wondering how much longer a meeting is going to last? Like first-time parents awaiting a birth of their child rather than wishing a long-winded meandering conversation would end.
In four short months we will begin the season of Advent and my time as your Minister of Music will be drawing to a close. Will you wait patiently and expectantly with me?