This season we are in anticipation or we not? I remember as a children saying, “I can’t wait until Chirstmas.” I didn’t think it would ever come. I can remember the excitement of Christmas morning.

Advent is filled with anticipation. There is saying about enjoying the moment, “Don’t anticipate just participate.” But here, I want to say, anticipate. Yes, I want to say expect. Hope, keep hope alive.

There is a statue of Mary at a monastery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I like to visit this monastery for retreat. It is called the Norbertine Abbey, called the Santa Maria de la vid – saint Mary of the vine. There is another Norbertine center in Paoli called Daylesford abbey. At the Santa Maria de la vid there is a statue of Mary. It is strategically placed at the entrance of the sanctuary. Not unusually for a Roman Catholic monastery. But what was unusual for me is she is pregnant. The fruit basket is a nod to the fruit of the vine title. It is placed at the entrance of the sanctuary for a reason. It is a reminder to come into the sanctuary expecting.

What a concept. Instead of coming to see what I can critique, come saying, “Is there a word from the Lord?” Come expecting God to show up, because guess what, His name is Emmanuel, God with us. So God will show up.

We think of God showing up in special ways at Christmas.

I like to ponder Mary and Joseph, expecting. Elizabeth and Zachariah expecting. This season expectation is in the air.

Let it be … to me according to your will.

A man and woman in the Hebrew text, better known as the Old Testament, they are called the mother and father of our faith, Abraham and Sarah. They were told they would have a
child. But years went by, so many years went by. They stopped expecting. When they were told at 90 years of age Sarah would have a child they laughed. Not just Sarah, Abraham laughed as well. Does anyone remember or were you ever told what the word Isaac means? Isaac, the child of Abraham and Sarah. What does the name mean? Laughter.

Sometimes the joke is on us.

There is a curious scripture at the end of Jesus life on earth. I mean the very end. After the cross, after the resurrection, at the sight of the ascension. Jesus is raised up and disappears. The people are standing looking up. The angels come and say, “Why do you stand there looking up toward heaven?” Such a great message. Many a sermon has been preached about that question, usually complete with the title, “If you are too heavenly minded you are not earthly good.” I have preached it myself. But today, this day. During the current culture in our world, I think many have stopped looking up. Yes, they have stopped expecting like Zachariah and Elizabeth. Like Sarah and Abraham. But the joke is on us, God is still at work. It is time we looked up.

Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus. What an amazing couple. I may have said it before if not, you may have heard it, but it is worth repeating, the story of Paul McCartney’s writing of the song, “Let it be.” When in times of trouble Mother Mary speaks to me, speaking words of wisdom let it be.” Played that for many years thinking Paul was talking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. But he heard his mother say in a dream, “Let it be, Paul, let it be.” Guess what his mother’s name was? Mary. Mother Mary of Jesus said, “Let it be to me according to your word.”

Maybe it is the child in me who loves gifts and Christmas morning and Christmas ever service. Maybe it is the Christmas carols. Maybe it is family. Maybe it is church services. But the slumbering expectation chord is stirred again.

What is it we are expecting? It is gifts? Sometimes we may get the children a little too excited about that part. I have seen more than one parent’s face fall in sadness when the child plows open all the many gifts that were carefully bought and wrapped only to say, “Is that all?”

When I hear a child say, “is that all?” after opening gifts, I can’t help but think of, ok, I know I am really dating myself, Peggy Lee’s song, is that all there is? That song was released in 1969. If you recall or if you haven’t heard the song, she survives a house fire, is that all there is, we can handle fearful things. The circus, there is build up and after it’s over, is that all there is? That reminds me of a Leonard Cohen song about called Come Healing – we don’t deserve the cruelty or the grace. The worst and the best. Peggy Lee goes on to talk of love and loss, is that all there is, and death – final breath is that all there is? I know that may sound like nihilism or fatalism, but she keeps singing, then let’s keep dancing. When we have faith, death is but a breath into new life. Not the worst thing to dread.

Sometimes we lower our expectations out of fear of being disappointed. Christmas season is a time we give ourselves permission to hope again, to look up again.

What are we expecting? We already know Jesus was born. Yet, again this year we can make room in the inn for the Christ child. We can acknowledge the Prince of Peace has come into the world. We can anticipate the fruition of that reality.
Paul reminds us it is not what we see, iF we could see it would not be hope. It would be the thing that has already happened.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God, 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labor, 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in[n] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:18-25

Patience, that is a hard one. Waiting for Christmas as a child, as brutal as that seemed to a 5 year old, waiting for the healing of the world, now that is a difficult kind of patience. How long, O Lord?

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you,[b] not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. II Peter 3:8-10

But still 2,000 years of waiting?

The gestation period is much longer than I would want. For it is more than 9 months when it comes to the labor pains of the creation. The Apostle Paul, not to be confused with the Beatle’s Paul, said all of creation groans in labor pains. That was 2,000 some odd years ago. We have long since stopped feeling the nudges.

But this time of year I feel it again, do you?
How do we keep the faith? How? We sing the songs, again this year. Come, thou long expected Jesus. Come O come Emmanuel. Alleluia he is coming, alleluia he is here.
We wait. Yes, we wait.
So, in the meantime, let us come to worship like an expectant Mary, with Great Expectations. Waiting to birth the word of God, in the flesh. In person to person.