December brings with it the season of waiting (Advent) and the season of fulfillment (Christmas). For all of us living on this side of Jesus’ birth, our waiting is always informed by fulfillment. This is one of the reasons it’s so hard not to sing Christmas hymns prior to Christmas. After all, we already know how this turns out. (Not only is the Messiah born, but the Messiah concurs death as well) Thus, in our waiting, there typically is an expectation that God will act in decisive ways and that God is at work even before that happens.
What is true in the liturgical calendar is also true in the life of faith. Much of our life is lived in the seasons of waiting, birthing, and growing. All of these are infused with the knowledge of God’s past faithfulness, which gives rise to hope-filled anticipation of God’s entrance into our lives and our situations or our excitement of how God will fulfill what has already begun. Even in the period of waiting for Jesus’ birth, God’s work can be identified. Angels visited both Mary and Joseph to inform them of God’s surprising and mysterious activity that they would experience. A band of angels came to shepherds to alert them that God had acted in the world. Herod and the scribes were aware of the promised coming of a Messiah. A star in the heavens was a sign to the Magi that something of significance was happening.
Last night, I finished my last charge conference meeting. I say that with both a sigh of relief and a sense of sadness. While my fall schedule can feel grueling at times with the long succession of night meetings, I have been blessed by my meetings with churches. What I learned through these annual meetings, both through the response to the questions in the worship service and in the discussion during the business portion of the gathering, is that God is moving in each congregation. In both large and small ways, people articulated how they see God at work in the congregation, its ministries, its fellowship, and its mission. In some cases, there is only an inkling that something new is being born. In other cases, there are clear signs that something new has already sprung up. In almost all cases, there is the realization that what these God-birthed experiences will ultimately become is yet unknown. In every congregation, while concerns still remain, hope and expectancy are strong.
I pray that the messages of waiting and fulfillment shared in December and the same experiences within our churches carry you to the same posture of hope and expectancy. Emmanuel is not just a title for Jesus but a description of who God is. God is with us. This is true in the incarnation, and it is true in our present circumstances. It is true in our congregations, and it is true in our personal lives. May Emmanuel bring you the fullness of hope, joy, love, and peace, not only in December but throughout the year.
