What are we waiting for?

Reflection for the 1st Week of Advent, 2022

Scriptures: Psalm 122; Matthew 24:36-44

Key Verse: “Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.” (Psalm 122:9)

What are we waiting for in Advent? The simple answer is Jesus, the Messiah. But are we simply waiting for Jesus' coming, for the final judgment, or for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom? According to the gospel reading in Matthew 24 for this week, it sounds like all the above. The Messiah’s coming was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. And from the New Testament, we learned that Jesus’ arrival in the first century wasn’t anticipated by many, especially those who had made up their minds what the Messiah should be like. Their own certainty blinded them from understanding the purpose of the Messiah who came to take away eternal death and grant eternal life.

Will Jesus’ second coming, the return of the Messiah, be our anticipation? Like the people of faith before his first coming, we continue relying on the scripture to prepare ourselves in the waiting. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned his disciples that he would come at an unexpected hour; therefore, they'd better to stay awake and be ready. That was the only instruction he gave to them. He won’t come as a baby in a manger, but as the King of kings.

For the coming four weeks, our focus is on how we can commemorate the birth of Jesus and reflect on how we can prepare ourselves, our family, our community, our neighborhood to receive Jesus’ second coming. What will Jesus see when he comes? And will we be ready whenever he comes?

Since my husband and I relocated to Washington State, we always look forward to our daughter visiting us. I still remember what she said to me on her first visit here four years ago. She said, “Mommy, you better keep hiking and get stronger so that we can hike more next time when I come to visit you.” So, I did. I hiked more and did exercise as often as I could. I got stronger each time she visited me. I continue doing it for her and for myself so that we can enjoy our time together.

Are we excited as we wait for the return of the Messiah? Will we like Jesus to see how we keep our spiritual muscles strong and not waste the new life that He has earned for us? In fact, what we are waiting for is what we already have. It is the collective new life, the body of Christ in front of our eyes. We meet each other whenever we gather in his name. We get stronger when we practice our spiritual muscles to serve each other, to walk alongside those in need, to find the lost and welcome them.

As Psalm 122:9 says, “Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.” Indeed, we wait for what we already have; that is the good news. Let us be ready while anticipating the coming of the Messiah. Let us seek to do good because of the Kingdom of God. Amen.