“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…”
Though St. Paul lists patience as the fourth of God’s spiritual gifts, it is a virtue seldom sought or cultivated by most 21st century Americans. Rather, under the influence of a consumer culture, we have come to expect instant gratification in all aspects of life.
While shopping, we look to see if our line is shortest or whether the line one aisle over is moving a bit more quickly than the one we are in. A day or two now seems too long to wait
for a DVD. Perhaps that’s why Netflix and other movie services are switching to streaming
video over the internet rather than mailing out DVD’s or Blu-ray Discs. A person can choose
his or her movie and watch it instantly.
Quick service is nice, but the most important and fulfilling aspects of life still require varying degrees of patience on our part. Neither best friends nor babies come “guaranteed overnight delivery.” A relationship with either requires patience and the investment of time on our part. Most resistant to haste is the cultivation of the spiritual life and one’s relationship with God.
God’s time frame is not ours. The Psalmist says that for God a thousand years pass as quickly as an evening. Instant gratification exists neither in nature nor in God’s dealings with humanity as they are recorded in the Bible. Grain takes a season to grow from seed to harvest. Many generations were born and died between God’s promise of a Messiah in Isaiah’s day until the time of Christ’s birth. The Jewish kingdom itself, as well as its Babylonian and Persian conquerors, was history long before then. Patience was then, and still is required to maintain faith and hope, let alone joy and peace.
Patience does not mean resignation or inaction. Both of the latter crush hope, and that is certainly not what God desires when blessing us with the gift of patience. The spiritual gift of
patience empowers persons to work actively towards fulfilling the vision of God’s Kingdom
come to earth, even when realization of that vision is delayed. Patience allows us to see
personal trials and loss as temporary afflictions through which we must pass on the way to full
realization of God’s vision for us when we join God in eternal life.
During Advent, our worship services are crafted to help members cultivate the spiritual gift
of patience. Those attending will hear traditional prophecies regarding the birth of a Savior,
light candles marking the passing of time, and sing hymns of longing such as “O Come, O
Come, Immanuel.”
Come Christmas, worship will remind us once again that good things come to those who wait.
Have A Blessed Christmas,
Pastor Derek