WAIT ON THE LORD

This is an abridged version preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 12/4/11.

(Matthew 2:1-12)

In a phenomenal little book entitled "Addicted to Hurry," Dr. Kirk Byron Jones addresses a matter that is endemic and epidemic in our contemporary culture. Jones reminds us of our conspicuous propensity toward rushing – we are addicted to hurry. Indeed hurry is on of the marks of our society.

It is very apparent that too many people, are in too much of a hurry, to accomplish too many things, and see too many people, and go to too many places. We are mired in a compulsive, obsession with speed.

Yes we are a world that is in a hurry. We’re in a hurry to get to work, a hurry to get to school, a hurry to get to church, a hurry to get to the store.

We’re in a hurry. We’re in a hurry to vacation, and a hurry to retire. We’re in a hurry to order our food, a hurry to eat our food, and a hurry to pay for our food. We’re in a hurry to matriculate, a hurry to graduate, a hurry to marry, and some are even in a hurry to get divorced.

We’re in a hurry for medical care, a hurry for lawyer’s advice, a hurry to lose weight, and a hurry to look good. We’re in a hurry to make money, a hurry to spend money, and some of us may even be in a hurry to save some money. We’re in a hurry to buy the car, a hurry to buy the house, a hurry to buy the wide screen television set (with remote control).

It seems that in recent years, we as a nation have even been in hurry to engage in war – a hurry to shed blood, and hurry to bomb the homes, and schools, and mosques of persons in far off lands.

So often it seems that in the midst of our rush to get things done, and to go from place to place, we fail to see what is really going on around us. And it is in these moments during the Advent season, as we prepare for Christmas that our hurriedness becomes more pronounced and exacerbated. People push to the front of the line, cars speed ahead, and we all are left to wonder as to the true meaning and relevance of the season.

It seems that in many ways, we have lost a sense of connectedness and patience – a sense of common interest and genuine concern among persons. It seems that we’ve lost much of our capacity to pause and wait - and savor and relish the meaning of life and our common plight as the people of God.

It seems that at the birth of Jesus, the world was similarly hurried. There was a certain buzz afloat as to the significance of the birth of this child. The magi – the wise men from the East – had observed – they had seen the Lord’s star at its magnificent and glorious rising. In this star, the wise men were convinced that they had witnessed a marvelous sign of the birth of the Messiah – the Savior of the world - and they wanted to pay him homage.

And King Herod was obviously disturbed – troubled - by these events. he was disturbed at the uproar surrounding the birth of a child to parents who were not of royal state – but who was receiving so much attention. King Herod was concerned and disturbed (troubled) at the excitement for one born in the politically insignificant village of Bethlehem. And so King Herod was in a hurry to find out where Jesus was, and to have the wise men return the baby to him.

If we would take a moment and look at our world – I believe we would clearly see that what Advent helps is to see is the ways in which God has broken into history in the unlikely person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born into poverty, uneducated, and unconnected to the established social and political order of his day. He was a nobody - an unlikely Savior he was.

I believe that this demonstrates God’s love for all humanity, and thus we see God’s call that we engage in the same kind of radical love for each other.

Indeed, God saw fit to send Jesus, God’s only begotten son into the world to save us from sin and destruction, and worry and hurry. Jesus – God incarnate (in-flesh) was God’s way of getting the world’s attention some two thousand years ago. The world then was beckoned to stop, and look, and consider how God was working in the world.

And so it is that we might take a few moments during the hustle and bustle – amidst the hurriedness of the season reflect upon the meaning of Advent. What do all the signs of the season mean to us? What do all of the candles, and lights, and gifts really mean? How have we stopped to pay homage to Jesus – who is the reason for the season? What hope does Christ bring to our fractured world today? Where do we see signs of the presence of the Messiah in our lives – in our world?

In the flight of time, in the hurriedness of our days, we are invited to note the actions of the Magi – the wise men – who would take time out of their busy-ness, their rush to get things done, to observe how God was acting in the world in the person of Jesus.

Indeed, what Advent is really about is waiting on the Lord. We are beckoned today to stop, and consider the ways in which we need God to work in our lives. What are we waiting for the Lord to do for us?

I don’t know about you - but I believe given the condition of our world, we need to learn how wait on the Lord.

I know that it might not always be easy to wait, but I’m glad to tell that some folk came along before us to teach us how to wait.
1. The children waited on the Lord for 40 years in the wilderness.
2. Job in his trouble said I’m going to wait on the Lord until my change comes.
3. David encouraged us to wait on the Lord, and be of good courage.
4. And Isaiah came along and gave us a song to remind us what would happen when we wait on the Lord. Isaiah told us:

They that wait on the Lord
Will renew their strength
They will mount up with wings as eagles
They will run and not be weary
They will walk and not faint!