August 7, 2022
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Hebrews 11:1–3, 8–16; Luke 12:32–40
The
thing is, we know that when the waiting is over, the time for change has come -
and change is scary. The moment comes and… we let it pass us by. The big day
arrives and we’re afraid to move, to act, to change, to stop waiting. There is
a song by Sarah McLachlan that captures the sense of despair that can accompany
waiting:
Spend
all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay.
There's always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard, at the end of the day.[1]
Waiting
is comfortable. We have our routine, the same day to day, week to week, a
comfortable rhythm. Waiting doesn’t require much of us. The thing is, if we
just wait, often what we hope for never happens. Maybe what needs to happen is
waiting on us.
Abraham
had been promised a land, a people, descendants numbered like the stars. But
ages went by, and he and his wife, Sarah, grew old. Still, he had faith. “By
faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to
receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.”
Even as he waited for the promises of God to be fulfilled, Abraham continued to
do as God asked, until finally God came through. “Therefore, from one person,
and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of
heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’” Abraham lived
by faith and hope, and became known as the father of many nations.
After
college I took a job at the bank. Just something to pay the bills while I
waited to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life. It was nine years
before my waiting was over, and by then I had grown pretty comfortable with my
routine. But I had faith and hope for what was next; and when I felt called, I got
moving.
Change
for me meant leaving my hometown of Denver, moving to a tiny apartment in Chicago,
and starting school again. It was very hard to leave that old life behind. I
left my family, my friends, and many things I loved. I fell to a low point of
loneliness and sadness in that time. But with the help of my new community, the
strength and wisdom I had gained as I waited, and with some faith in the
calling I had received, I began to rise from that low point and in my new life
I began to shine.
The
change that comes at the unexpected hour may begin with things getting worse.
It is difficult to overcome inertia. There is loss, and some cherished things
must be left behind. Moving in a new direction takes a lot of energy. There are
those who will oppose the change, and will tell you that you’re making a
mistake. I remember thinking, “What have I done?” But with the help of those
around you, with faith in the strength of God to see you through, and with the
knowledge that the light of the world has come into your heart, you can face
the end of waiting.
Maybe
you’re ready. Perhaps you have made purses that do not wear out, an unfailing
treasure in heaven. Your lamp is lit. You’re at the door. The excitement of
finally going fills you with joy. Isaiah, the prophet, was ready. When he heard
the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He
replied, “Here am I; send me!”[2] When the road ahead is clear and well-marked,
and you’re ready, moving on is easy. When the way is less clear, or a fork
appears in the road, we hesitate.
A
decision must be made. Which way shall I go, which choice shall I choose? Often,
it is facing a decision, choosing one thing and losing another, that causes us
to keep waiting. We fear making the wrong choice, or losing out on something
because we have chosen something else. The songwriter David Wilcox puts it
succinctly:
I
was dead with deciding - afraid to choose.
I was mourning the loss of the choices I'd lose.
But there's no choice at all if I don't make my move,
And trust that the timing is right;
Yes, and hold it up to the light.[3]
When
the waiting is over, start moving. If you hold your choice up to the light,
you’ll be moving in the direction that leads toward God. The change may be hard
at first, but don’t give up hope, for after the fall comes a rising. The
prophet Simeon said that Jesus was destined for the falling and the rising of
many in Israel. We are a resurrection people, and though we fall, we rise again
to new life, and to the fulfillment of our calling to seek the realm of God.
“But
know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the
Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Let’s be ready when the time
comes, trusting that the timing is right, already moving forward with faith and
hope, forward toward the kin-dom of God.
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