We are now in the middle of November and the world we live in has begun to celebrate the Christmas “season.”  While we in the Christian church were celebrating saints on November 1^st, much of the rest of the Western world has already skipped ahead 2 months and are celebrating.  It seems that everyone’s eyes are on December 25^th.

But the truth is, there is a lot of time between now and Christmas Day.  In the church we acknowledge this time and call it Advent.  And we try to, in the midst of the frenzy elsewhere, stop for a moment and consider what the event we will celebrate on that day has meant and will mean.  We are not at the event, yet.  We are waiting for the event.

This year the waiting may be challenging for the Deer Parkcommunity.  At our congregational meeting on November 1^st, we were told that waiting for our future to unfold is what we are going to have to do.  Fred Graham, Chair of our congregation, has the details of this in his report but there are two specific waitings—for the new offer on the building at 129 St. Clair to come to fruition or not, and for the process of the Ecumenical Shared Ministry with Calvin to be completed so that we can make a final decision about our immediate future.  Our Advent waiting has a special significance for our congregation this year.

There are two kinds of waiting: we can wait with dread or anxiety, or we can wait with hopeful anticipation.  Waiting with dread is the kind of thing we do when we are waiting for the results of medical tests, when we are waiting for the marks of an examination to be posted, when we don’t know how long our job, or our lives, will last.  We’ve all experienced this kind of waiting.  And, for people of faith, prayer and the companionship of friends and family help us to get through this waiting which, in spite of our anxiety, sometimes has a good outcome.

And then there is also the other kind of waiting, the waiting of hopeful anticipation.  That is Advent waiting.  Some would say that this kind of waiting is not realistic, that it’s better to be prepared for the worst and not be disappointed.  And our experience often proves them right. But Advent points us to the fact that our waiting can have a glorious and blessed conclusion.

Mary’s waiting was bound up in anxiety because her situation was not optimum in her time and place.  Joseph could have abandoned her; her family could have disowned her; she would have been whispered about over the back fences.  But she knew that the child she carried was very, very special.  And she knew, as we can know, too, that God is always with us, supporting us and loving us through all our waiting.  And so Mary waited in anticipation and hope.  And, while she waited, she sang:

            “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked

            with favour on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me

blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is his name.”

May we, as we wait, congregation and individuals, be able to sing with Mary this Advent, in hopeful anticipation of God’s goodness and care.  For God has done, and will continue to do, great things for us.