We did an advent reflection in a the lift for a youth work training event last week. Below is the story we used but you can find the whole card here
The Waiting Room – How do you wait?
In a hot crowded waiting room full of noise and bustle you find yourself a seat. Do you sit away from people or next to them? Or do you sit near the exit, watching as people enter and leave? Perhaps you pick up an old magazine and leaf through it, idly looking at the pages but not actually seeing, always being alert to those around you. Or maybe you sit and think, running through lists or things to do when you leave. You might worry about the future or what lies for you behind that closed door.
You may wait expectantly, anticipating the answer to come soon, or you may know that your wait is a long one, maybe with no answer at the end. So how do you wait? As the world passes by you and round you, what is in the stillness of your mind, how is your spirit stirred?
Whether you find waiting easy or difficult we all have times in our lives where we just have to—wait.
Waiting – a counter cultural displine. Imagine our society where people could wait for the next product without going into debt or wait for God in the stillness and silence without been drawn to the noise.
I find it interesting how we seemed to have replaced the idea of waiting with the concept of building up to. One is a spiritual disciplne and the other seems rooted in something more taking or self orientated
We often see waiting as a passive thing, where we are not involved – just sitting around waiting for somehting to be done to us. We find it uncomfortbale because we feel powerless and useless. But waiting can be a very active and hopeful thing – especailly when we are waiting for a child to be born – the waiting is full of expectation and hopes etc. That’s the great thing abour pregnancy – we can see somehting is happening, that the baby is developing, but we have to wait for the right time, for the birthing.
Building up – feels much more active- ‘can he fix i – yes he can’ more control, power and a sense of doing something proactive.
Embracing uselessness and a sense of powerlessness is a spiritual discipline – that advent /Christmas can begin to teach us.