Waiting is Worth It!

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Today I sit in my office thinking that Christmas is just a few weeks away. The time of year when the birth of Jesus is celebrated all over the world. It also means that family can get together and become reacquainted after some time apart. My reflections go back to my childhood memories of growing up in coastal Newfoundland. As a child growing up there so many years ago, we always looked forward to Christmas as a time when my parents felt they could justify spending on a few toys to put under the Christmas tree. As kids, we would wait all year for this one special day. We did not have any department stores in our town. However, we did get two catalogues that arrived every September. They were the Sears Catalogue and the Eaton's Catalogue. We would practically wear out these catalogues looking at the gifts that were available for order. This only made the wait for Christmas Day all the longer. This waiting reminds me of Simeon, who waited an entire lifetime for the long-awaited Messiah, Luke 2:25-32 (NIV):

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

This was a long wait indeed...waiting for many years. Hoping with every child brought to the temple that this would be the long-awaited promised one. Finally, Simeon's faith was rewarded, and he got to see the one he had waited a lifetime to see.

I am not good at waiting. Time passes too slowly, and I become impatient. I wonder how Simeon could be so patient and what allowed him to endure for so long.

As Christians, we are in a similar waiting pattern as we anticipate Jesus coming again. For some of us, this has been a short wait so far, but it has been a long wait for others who are older.

I wonder how Simeon could be so patient and what allowed him to endure for so long. As Christians, we are in a similar waiting pattern as we anticipate Jesus coming again. For some of us, this has been a short wait so far, but it has been a long wait for others who are older.

Let me suggest a few things that make the wait bearable. The first thing is knowledge. We have the many promises found throughout the Bible and in the words of Jesus himself that he will return and quickly. Secondly, while we wait, we must be busy with the business that Jesus asks us to do. He says that we must alleviate the suffering of humanity, feed the hungry, visit the shut-ins, pray for those less fortunate, and share the Gospel. Being busy with this work will make the time go by quickly.

Finally, we must remember that the wait will be worth it! We will get to see Jesus and the angels return to this world and take us home. We will get to see the restoration of all things and the reunion of the redeemed. The wait may seem long, but it will be worth it!

By Gary Hodder, President of the Alberta Conference