Advent: Waiting In The Dark
Four weeks of not yet.
On longing, and a promise a long time coming.
The big idea
Advent is not a countdown. It is practice at waiting well.
What does “Advent: Waiting In The Dark” walk through?
A New Thing
Isaiah 43:19 · KJV
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
In plain English
Look — I am doing a new thing. It is already springing up; don't you see it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Four Hundred Silent Years
Between the last prophet and the first Christmas, nothing. The people waiting did not know how long it would be — which is exactly the position most waiting happens in.
Wait Patiently
Psalms 37:7 · KJV
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
In plain English
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Don't get worked up over people who succeed at doing wrong.
“Advent is honest about the dark. That is what makes the light mean anything.”
New Every Morning
Lamentations 3:23 · KJV
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
In plain English
They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
I Go To Prepare
John 14:2 · KJV
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
In plain English
There is plenty of room in my Father's house. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
Still Waiting
Christians are still in an advent — the promise made and not yet complete. Learning to wait in December is practice for the rest of it.
Pray
God, teach me to wait without going numb. Amen.
Write it down
What are you waiting on, and how are you waiting?
Light is coming
The dark is real. It is also temporary.
Which passages does this journey use?
4 passages, drawn from Isaiah 43:19, Psalms 37:7, Lamentations 3:23, John 14:2. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 7 minutes for the whole thing, or 8 short sittings.
- Isaiah 43:19
- Psalms 37:7
- Lamentations 3:23
- John 14:2
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
More in Seasons of the Year
All Seasons of the Year →Christmas Beyond The Story
What actually happened.
Lent: Forty Days Of Less
Subtraction as a spiritual practice.
Holy Week, Day By Day
The longest week in history.
Easter: The Morning Everything Changed
The claim the whole thing stands on.
New Year, Same God
Resolutions, and something steadier.
Starting Something New
New place, old nerves.