The First Sunday of Advent

REFLECTIONS
November 30, 2008

Advent is a time of waiting. It is the beginning of the Church year where Christians the world over prepare to remember and receive anew, the gift of God in the infant Jesus. Waiting is a difficult endeavor. Whether we are children awaiting the gifts of the season, or adults waiting to be served at the bank, time seems to go ever so slowly. There is an old Tom Petty song (I think the title is The Waiting is the Hardest Part); a line from it reads, or sings if you will, “You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, the waiting is the hardest part.”

I experienced this recently when on a shopping trip to a local mall. Finding the things to buy and the place to check out was fairly easy, actually purchasing them was considerably more difficult. There was no cashier at the station and appeared to be none on the floor. Several minutes later a person arrived with a customer in tow whose purchase she began to process. This would mean a little bit longer wait for me, but not much. However, before the salesperson could complete the transaction another customer appeared and began demanding service. Saying, “Are you the only person on the floor? I’ve been waiting a very long time without any help, and I’m very busy and have other things to do.” All this without pausing for a response from the sales associate. When the person stopped to take a breath the sales associate said, “I am sorry I will be happy to help you as soon as I finish with this next customer (that would be me). The person said, “I have been waiting a very long time, why don’t you have more people working?” I offered to give up my place but the customer said something sharp and stomped off. I looked at the sales associate and remarked you know it’s the holiday season when you’ve had your first truly nasty customer. As we left the store, my son who was with me said, “This is why I do my shopping online.”

In a rush to do and have and be, patience is a commodity oftentimes lost in the experience of Advent. Rather than be pressed flat with the demands of the season, imagine if somehow we could pause each day for just a moment and consider the gift we have been given in the love of God, or recall the care and strength from which we can draw in faith and through community. Then finally remember what we are called to do with our lives in hope and concern. Waiting in holiday sales lines and listening to one another be frustrated is not part of the equation.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601