"It is for this joy, this hope, this peace that we wait."
I am not usually such an evangelistic person; I often quite honestly despise evangelism (well, despise is not quite accurate; it is probably more accurate to say that I question the authenticity of evangelism). During the season of advent, however, I am too often moved by the promise of the Christ child. This season my emotions-- usually subdued and hidden beneath a self-imposed stoicism-- are running rampant thanks to our own sense and season of advent. To this end, the quote above appeared in this Sunday's responsive reading. This single line brought tears to my eyes as I cannot wait to see our little girl-- our joy, our hope, and our peace. The full responsive reading is here:
"Comfort my people, says the Lord. Speak unto them words of deliverance./ God will break the chains of the bound./ Comfort my people, says the Lord. Speak unto them words of peace./ God will cast out the fears of the troubled./ Comfort my people, says the Lord. Speak unto them words of assurance./ God will raise the eyes of the hopeless./ Lord, give us faith that the Prince of Peace shall be revealed./ It is for this joy, this hope, this peace that we wait./ Advent is a time of waiting./ Advent is also Christ... in me."
This is my prayer today as I try with every fiber of my being to understand the waiting period knowing that so many faces of the bound, the troubled, and the hopeless long to be turned into faces of joy, hope, and peace. If we are so willing and ready to offer comfort, deliverance, peace, and assurance, why then must the process be one of waiting? And no sooner do I ask these questions is it that God provides the answer: "Lord, give us faith that the Prince of Peace shall be revealed... It is for this joy, this hope, this peace that we wait." I am-- we are-- ready for our joy, hope, and peace named A.J. Maybe this season of advent will be our own season of realized advent.
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