First Sunday in Advent

The first Sunday in advent: the theme is WAITING

I have learned a lot about waiting over the last few weeks.  It is difficult and quite exhausting – but is quite an eye opening experience

I want to talk about what we do while we are waiting.  We are asked to wait quite a lot in our lives…we wait for test results, we wait for people to get out of surgery, we wait for the big break, we wait for the promotion, we wait in line for that sale item…and we wait

What do we do while we wait?

Let’s first look at Luke 1:5-23

Zechariah had been waiting for his life to have a child…but it had not happened.  He wasn’t young anymore, but we find Zechariah doing something that is our first lesson:

1 – While we are waiting, we are called to do the ordinary

Zechariah was a priest.  He was righteous before God, doing the right thing.  He wasn’t sitting around mad or pouting.  He was doing what he was called to do. 

Zechariah was being obedient to what he was called to do.  He was called to be a priest and that is what he was doing and doing it right.

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were obeying the Lord…there is comfort in doing the ordinary, being obedient…

God sent Jesus into the ordinary…God picked disciples doing the ordinary…God calls us in the ordinary…it is only by Him that we do the extraordinary

2 – While we are waiting, we are called to trust Him

Gabriel had given Zechariah news that was overwhelming.  He couldn’t believe it.  He didn’t understand it.  Think about it, he is older, he has been faithful and obedient…now he is being told he is going to have a son!
He was a good man, a faithful man – but this was so much that he wanted to know how Gabriel knew this was going to happen.  Gabriel explained that he had been sent to bring this good news.  He also made Zechariah unable to speak because he didn’t believe.

Think about it – he didn’t understand what was going on and in his human mind, he was trying to put it all together.  God doesn’t work like the human mind.  He calls us to simply trust Him.  When we do that, we have peace while we wait, we have joy while we wait…but we don’t necessarily have answers while we wait.

We are called to simply trust Him!

3 – While we are waiting, we are called to worship

The people are outside while Zechariah is doing his duty and they are praying.  They don’t know what is going on.  Zechariah finds out his news while in worship.  We, too are called to WORSHIP

Worship despite our circumstances…What will you do while u wait?