The difference between waiting and anticipating is huge. So in this season of Advent, the question is: Are we waiting for something, or are we anticipating something?
For many of us, waiting in line, waiting for water to boil – waiting for whatever – is an irritation. We think that somehow in our lives things should be far more convenient, that things should happen instantaneously.
And so, we’re not real crazy about waiting.
The thought of waiting for Christ to come seems counter to what our cultural expectations are. We demand things a little bit more immediately. But if we just shift that word a bit and move away from waiting for the Lord and rather to anticipating the Lord, I think our approach this Advent will be far different.
My brothers and sisters, we’re given four very brief weeks – we will blink, and Christmas will be here.
Our culture tends to not want to wait. In many ways, our culture brings us Christmas long before we’re ready. It’s not as if there’s some big great preparation that we’ve got to go through spiritually at this time of year – but rather, the preparation is in the anticipation.
Can we foster a greater desire for the Lord by anticipating His coming, by wanting Him to come more and more into our lives, than simply by waiting for the Lord?
That’s my hope for you this Advent season: that you take these four weeks, that you take this opportunity to see the ways in which anticipating His coming into your life brings Him more and more into your life, invites Him more and more. I anticipate His coming so much. I can’t wait for Him to come. I want Him to be here now. I welcome Him each and every day.
We’re in anticipation of the Lord this Advent because we know that Christ is coming! We know what it’s like to have Christ in our lives.
And so, we build that sense of deeper desire, greater anticipation over four weeks. Not so that we can just have a greater celebration of Christmas Day, but so that even in Advent, we can appreciate more who He is and what He means in our lives and how we cannot live without Him.
We anticipate Christ’s coming because we know that this life is nothing without Him. That’s the fullness of life that all of us desire to experience, that all of us are anticipating as we celebrate Christ coming into our world.
Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., leads the Diocese of Charlotte.