Year
A, Third Sunday of Advent
“Waiting,
Waiting, Waiting”
James
5:7-10
Objects:
a calendar and some seeds or acorns
(Show the children a December calendar with
large, red X’s through the preceding days.)
Can you believe Christmas is only 10
days away? The first two weeks of this
month have flown by so fast! We have
been so busy, and December 25th will be here before we know it!
Looking at you, I don’t think you
share the same feelings as I do. I get
the impression that some of you think 10 days is an awfully long time to have
to wait. You might be happier if Christmas
were here already.
I have to agree with that, too. It really is hard to wait. We all, children and grownups alike, get
excited about Christmas. We can’t wait
for it to be here. Some of us can’t wait
for presents, or the time with our families, or for special services at
church. This is a season in which we are
filled with anticipation, and like the old song says, “We can hardly stand to
wait. Please, Christmas, don’t be late.”
Only
10 days? Yes, it probably feels like
forever.
Here’s a word from the Bible for all
of us who might have a hard time waiting.
In James 5, we are told to be patient.
It says, “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the
Lord.” We have to be patient, the Bible
says so.
This message in James goes on to
encourage us, saying, “The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth,
being patient with it until it receives the early and late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen you hearts for the coming of the
Lord is near.”
I have a pack of seeds here. If I planted these seeds today, should I call
everyone to come over tomorrow to eat a big feast from the crop that will come
in? Of course not! It takes time, and we need to be patient.
Everyone is anxious for Christmas to
be here, but we need to be patient. We
need to wait, but that doesn’t mean we just sit around with nothing to do. We can do good things while we wait. James says “don’t grumble with one another”
and “take the prophets”. We know what
“don’t grumble with one another” means, but what does “take the prophets”
mean? It means listen to what they had
to say and follow their instructions.
Isaiah, for example, said, “Cease to do evil and learn to do good.” While we are waiting, we can spend our time
well, doing good things for others. When
we do this, we plant seeds of hope in other people’s lives, and they will
spring up in peace, joy and love. I
can’t wait to see that happen!
Dear
God,Give
us patience as we wait. We can’t wait to
celebrate that Jesus has come. While we
do wait, give us faith. Bless us to do
good work as Jesus’ followers until he comes again. We pray in his name. Amen.
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