7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James 5:7-10
Gardeners, like farmers, plant seeds and bulbs in the hope that they will grow and explode into their destiny. Many of you may have bowls of ‘Ecudare hyacinths’ ready to burst into flower sometime soon. Bulbs that you planted in the hope of scent and blooms for Christmas. Bulbs in which you have placed your hope that they will grow into something you expect. Well, some of them might fulfil your expectations but others may not. They may disappoint you or perhaps surprise you. They may not flower at all or they may not be the colour you thought they were. They might be an unexpected double or more amazingly a throwback, looking more like a bluebell than hyacinth. We may think we know what those bulbs will do BUT we can’t always guarantee that they will do as it says on the packet!
Waiting for something is not always easy. Some of us might get impatient that things are not happening fast enough. Others, a bit like myself, quite enjoy the anticipation of waiting for something but are often disappointed by the eventual outcome. I used to be like this but have trained myself over the years to enjoy the anticipation and to be ‘surprised’ by the longed for event. That way one is not left disappointed but able to find enjoyment or satisfaction as the event unfolds.
Advent is a time of anticipation. A time of waiting and pondering on the call of the prophets like John-the-Baptist or Isaiah, who point the way to something miraculous and almost beyond our comprehension; the birth of the Christ.
The Hebrew people of the days before Christ, longed for his birth and their liberation from slavery and hardship, oppression and guilt. Jesus was born into that race and followed its teachings but from the point of view of the one who came to save his people. Many ignored or rejected him and still look for his coming among us today. Others believed what he said and we are their inheritors - the people of the way. Those who have seen the Christ light shining in the darkness. Others still have yet to see or hear anything about the Messiah, promised or among us, even if they celebrate Christmas they do not know who the Christ in Christmas is.
The duty of those of us who call ourselves Christian is to talk about the Christ, to say why we follow him and what worship brings to our lives. We don’t need to stand on soap boxes and shout; or take to wearing camel hair and ragged clothes like John-the-Baptist. We simply need to live joyfully as redeemed individuals grateful for what Christ has given us and continually brings to our lives. Like the farmer or the gardener we need to sow the seeds that can germinate in others and surprise them when they flower or fruit. We do this by simply living our lives inspired by the ways of Christ. Following his commands to love one another and to treat others as we would wish to be treated. A good example is often worth a 1000 words and as St.James tells us don’t grumble at each other but be patient with each others short-comings; your own as well as theirs! ‘Freely love and pardon’.
“Long ago, prophets knew
Christ would come, born a Jew.
Come to make all things new;
Bear his People s burden,
Freely love and pardon.”