Advent Reflection 9th December - Amy Boucher Pye

Every day in Advent 2016 we will be sharing short reflections from authors, Christian charities and Eden team members. 

A Time to Wait

How long can you wait for something before you start to twitch? Or turn to your phone? Or tap your foot in annoyance?

I suspect for most of us, waiting is hard – it certainly can be for me. And yet Advent is all about waiting for the coming of the Lord. It’s a season often ignored by the church as we get swept up in the consumerist thrust of shopping for the perfect gift or the cultural pressure to create a memorable holiday. We forget the sense of stopping, being still, and waiting.

Waiting, that is, for the coming King.

We’re waiting for Jesus to come to earth – he’s God, Immanuel. We may be rushing around and feeling stretched, but even in the moments of busyness we can stop and still ourselves and remember that Jesus is born again in our midst. Even without mince pies or turkey, Jesus will be born into our lives. God with us.

Perhaps you could carve out a few moments today or this week to ponder the birth of Jesus. One way to do so is by slowly reading a prose poem based on Zechariah’s song about his son, John. He who had been silent for months was filled with words that have remained for centuries.

Prepare the way for the LordHe’s coming again
To earth; to our hearts
So that his people might know
Salvation
Lasting freedom
The forgiveness of sins
A clean slate
Wrongs put right.

Through God’s tender mercy
The rising sun comes
From heaven to earth
Shining through darkness
Illuminating our way.

Even in the shadow of death
He guides our feet
Into the path of peace.

Come, Lord Jesus.
Come, Lord
Come.

Based on Luke 1:76-79; Zechariah’s song

© 2013 Amy Boucher Pye

May the Lord bless your days of waiting – and of embracing the Christ Child who comes into our midst.

Amy Boucher Pye is the author of the award-winning Finding Myself in Britain and the BRF 2017 Lent book, The Living Cross. You can find her online at www.amyboucherpye.com.