Counting the Days: December 5, 2024
Apryl Rosser, M.L.S.
Digital Collections Librarian
Instructor of Information Science
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight, they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has borne his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Reflection
The Christmas season brings an unwelcome companion: waiting. This intruder infiltrates every facet of our holiday preparations. Patience wears thin in stores as we navigate through hordes of shoppers, all anxiously awaiting their turn at the checkout. Phones are scrolled, and sighs escape in grocery stores, our carts loaded with indulgent treats and the essentials for potluck masterpieces. Porches transform into staging areas as we eagerly track packages, each delivery carrying the promise of impending holiday surprises. The hustle of airport terminals and highway congestion bears witness to the anticipation of seeing our loved ones again.
This kind of waiting is a blessing.
Amid our personal waiting for festive celebrations, we recognize that others around us may be engaged in a different kind of waiting. Some await diagnoses and verdicts, while others anxiously anticipate communication from war zones or an olive branch from estranged loved ones. For many, this waiting won’t conclude with a delicious meal, or a warm home crowded with loved ones.
This kind of waiting is silent endurance.
When we tread the path of Advent, we are invited to make space for both kinds of waiting; a place where hope and uncertainty coexist. We must endure the waiting that proceeds the arrival of something extraordinary and the kind that leaves us straining to hear the footsteps of the messenger who might finally have some good news. As we navigate the season of waiting, whether it’s at Target or in traffic, may the anticipation of the arrival of Jesus Christ infuse our waiting with patience and our hearts with hope.