Wait for the Lord
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart!
Traditionally, the Taize hymn above is often associated with Lent or Advent or some liturgical expression of preparation and readiness. While it certainly fits those moments of our shared holy rhythm, it would be a mistake to confine the concept of waiting on the Lord to such seasons. We do well to take special care in particular seasons of waiting and longing, but it is surely a universal experience that waiting rarely fits into the neatly packaged times and places to which it has been assigned. More often than not, in fact, it is in the midst of rush and noise that we often find waiting the most difficult; and yet, it may be during these frenetic times that waiting becomes most important. How appropriate, then, for us to explore this concept of out-of-place waiting during this bit of ordinary time between Advent and Lent.
Many have rightly observed and noted that while the world into which we have been created is full of wonder and majesty, shot through with countless revelations of the God of the Universe, our systems have done just about everything they can to either obscure that wonder or commercialize it for the gain of the few on top. As a result, we have lost the capacity, both as individuals and as communities, to wait faithfully. Ministers and teachers have long spoken out against the dangers of “instant gratification” (though often failing to take this concept beyond the propping up of “purity culture” and jabs at the younger generations) without realizing just how pervasive this social virtue has become. Simply put, the way of the world has no place for waiting. From the mundane annoyance of delayed traffic to the careful patience required in discerning one’s vocation or relationships, humans have been formed to see the scourge of waiting as nothing more than an inefficiency in some system or market.
What, then, is the alternative? It is unlikely many of us will run toward opportunities to wait in the fast paced world around us. What good can possibly be found in waiting? Such is the power of the dominant narrative. No, it seems that waiting, or at least the opportunity to do so will have to come upon us when we least expect it. While our liturgical seasons orient us to a pattern of life we do well to heed, we know too well that the occasions to deepen and enrich our practice of waiting often come at times in which we lack the liturgical framework upon which to rest it. Life-changing diagnoses rarely come at predictable times. The time between the completion of a task or project and the results of that work can happen whether we are prepared to wait or not. As much as we rarely choose to wait on anything in this life, life often returns the favor by rarely waiting on us. And so our occasions to wait often come unexpectedly and without much warning. What, then, are we to do when there is nothing to do?
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” The promise from this familiar section from the prophecy of the book of Isaiah is the appropriate counter to this dominant cultural narrative that waiting is something to be avoided at all costs. While the people following the wisdom of the world spend all of their energy avoiding waiting, those who have resisted the urge to completely maximize the efficiencies of all parts of their schedules have the gift of being able to observe that the Lord their God everlasting, from the beginning of time, this same time folks are so intent on molding and shaping and bending to their will. The hubris of humans is less about trimming seconds off of wait times in drive-thrus and more about refusing to acknowledge that time itself belongs to a realm beyond our limited human conception. When understood rightly, any time “saved” or waiting avoided is rendered inconsequential. Again, this is not because there is something inherently wrong with having a spaceless schedule, or that much good work can’t be done with time that isn’t used waiting. It is simply an acknowledgement that the control we think we have over what we choose to wait on or how we choose to wait is an illusion, an idea sold to us as any other idea that makes us feel larger than we really are. We desperately need the reminders that the Taize hymn provides:
Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart!
In this week’s gospel lesson, we are introduced to folks who come to encounter Jesus in a few different ways. Simon’s mother, bedridden and waiting, we can only assume, on either a miraculous healing by chance, or waiting for the alternative, death. We don’t know much about her disposition or attitude as she waited, but we do know that when Jesus arrives, he makes her well, well enough to serve, either out of duty or gratitude. Others, taking matters into their own hands, arrived at the doorstep and, again, waited. This waiting was surely not easy either. Waiting in the midst of demon possession or grave illness is a much taller task than the sort of waiting than the kind with which many of us are faced. The waiting was so powerful, so counter-cultural even then that it attracted a crowd of onlookers. Sure, they were there to witness the miraculous healer, but for the majority of the time, they could perhaps rightly be accused of the same kind of waiting we often associate with paint drying! Finally, as Jesus prayed in the deserted place (himself surely waiting on a word from the Lord himself), the disciples remind Jesus that “everyone is searching for you.” While seeking the Lord is not necessarily mutually exclusive from waiting for the Lord, it may be the case that Jesus’s decision to move on is an acknowledgement that he knows folks are searching for him, but that he is also aware that there might be those in other places who wait, likely against better judgment in the eyes of the world. Perhaps there is some truth in the admonition of the prophet. Those who wait on the Lord are met with healing, sustenance, endurance, and a changed perspective of the world as one who rides on the wings of eagles.
Friends, the capacity to wait has been systematically and programmatically eliminated from our individual formation. It is seen as a weakness and a missed opportunity. And yet, we know that our society, try as it might, will never fully expel the need to wait. How do we respond? There may be some wisdom in responding in the ways that the people of God have for so long. By submitting to waiting, we might also open up our eyes to the reality of who God is and what God is doing. No longer will we have not seen or heard that the Lord is the everlasting God. We might also submit to waiting by entering into relationships and communities with others who seek the Lord as well. Waiting is often easier faced when not faced alone, after all. Waiting in community recontextualizes what waiting means. No longer are we isolated, lonely, scared individuals running toward that which is immediate both in proximity and in time, but can allow ourselves to be sustained by community as we wait for the Lord together as the Lord’s day draws near.
Amen