The Waiting Is The Hardest Part - November 29, 2010

Daily Lectionary Readings for November 29, 2010
Psalm 69:1-15
Isaiah 1:10-20
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Luke 20:1-8

Psalm 69:1-15
A good one for when things haven't been going well and still aren't going well.  The Psalmist is asking both for help ("Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck") and for patience to wait on the Lord's answer ("...my prayer is to you O Lord.  At an acceptable time, O God in the abundance of yoru steadfast love, answer me.")  Both practices - going to the Lord in prayer when answers are elusive and times are challenging and seeking the patience to live through the storm and wait on God's answers.  Waiting on God's acceptable time falls in nicely with the Advent theme of waiting on God.  This waiting is often not a passive or easy thing,  waiting can be difficult, even excruciating.  As we discussed in Sunday School yesterday at Hebron, it's not always a choosing between two obvious choices - one good, one bad - often times it is a slow process of discernment between two seemingly meritorious choices, and that requires waiting, waiting, waiting.

Isaiah 1:1-10
Rather comes at waiting from another angle.  The activity described in verses 10-15 seems to be empty activity aiming at busyness rather than anything of substance.  God is said to be tired of the "multitude of sacrifices", has had "enough of burnt offerings" and cannot "endure solemn assemblies".  Rather than many and elaborate worship experiences the people are called upon to do something basic and visceral - repent.  "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your doings from my eyes."  "Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."  Repent and do good.  Tasks of preparation for Christ's advent.

Waiting...
It is easy to write about waiting.
It is not so easy to wait.
It is easy to wait conceptually.
It is not so easy to wait when you are actually anticipating something.
Or when you need something.
Tom Petty was right.
(The waiting is, at times, the hardest part.)