A Promise Waiting --Carolyn R. Wilker

Snow falls softly here as I write today. No doubt there’ll be more snow by the end of the day. People were out raking leaves just over a week ago, but soon the cold wind came, shooting like an arrow down the tunnel of the city’s main street.

Tuesday evening I’d been out to meet with writer friends from our critique group, for a little social time before Christmas. On the way back to my car, the wind pushed against me, making me shiver and my teeth chatter. Though I wore a warm winter coat, my legs were cold. I thought, Here comes winter.

Coloured lights remind us that Christmas will come soon and the snow with it. In some points north, I’m sure they have plenty of it.

Winter, in our part of the world, begins near Christmas usually, and the nights are darker. Soon we’ll have the longest night or shortest day of the year, however you want to look at it. At that time of year some folks mark Blue Christmas because of losses they’ve suffered. Others struggle with diminishing sunlight and seasonal affective disorder.

It may also be appropriate to match that early winter in our part of the world with the Advent season in our Christian church—a time of waiting, a time to remember how things were for people before the Christ child came to the world. People were under duress from the Roman government, and now it seemed they wanted even more taxes to pay their way, from common folks who worked hard just to get by. Another census so that all the world could be counted. All their world, as they knew it. It seemed they had little hope.

There had been one proclamation by the prophet Isaiah that a special child would be born. Maybe they believed it and maybe they struggled to see how it could change anything. A child born to one of them to save them from their ruler. It hardly seemed possible. And yet, some held out hope, and few believed when it actually came to be. 

Would anyone believe a young girl called Mary who would carry the baby? Her family? Her fiancée to whom she was promised in marriage? The scandal would have rocked their community, and she was sent away for awhile. To visit an aunt who lived days away. People would not have believed the aunt’s story either. One who had been called to carry another child who would prepare the way for the special baby. An old woman beyond her prime, who’d borne no previous children of their own. Dire circumstances, by human measure.

Except that the two women had a bond beyond their blood relationship. Oh, how they must have rejoiced when they spent the time together. They had hope for the world, though neither one would know just how things would go. Hope was important.

And so this is the opening to that story that we mark every year beginning in late November and into December, until the night of the baby’s birth. Seems appropriate, doesn’t it?

We’re not quite at Christmas yet. In the middle of the shopping, decorating, baking and pre-Christmas gatherings, let’s remember the long time of waiting and of the hope people held in a nearly hopeless situation—before the special baby came to make his place in the world. A promise waiting. A promise in the works. As the hymn writer declared in 1710 and a 15^th Century processional put to music,

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the son of God appear.”

                                                     

                                           

http://www.carolynwilker.ca/

Ready or not—Carolyn R. Wilker

                                          Photo: C. R. Wilker

You may be familiar with the children’s game of Hide and Seek. One person counts while another one, or maybe more, hides. What is agreed on first is that the person counting will get to a certain number, and then will call, “Coming, ready or not!” or some variation of those words. There might even be a home base, in a game outdoors, for those hiding to run for “home” without being caught.

I played the game with my sisters when we were growing up, and now I play it with my grandchildren who are five and seven. They have their secret hiding spots in our home (some not so secret, when they were smaller). It didn’t matter that, at first, it was the same few spots over and over, or that I heard giggling as I came near. I’d pretend I didn’t see or hear them and look other places, and finally only a few minutes later say, “There you are!” The response has always ended in a good deal of laughter.

 Then it was my turn to hide. I found some pretty good places, but it didn’t dare be too hard or make them look too long or it wasn’t fun anymore. Sometimes they got their grandpa looking too. The best part of the game was the suspense, waiting to see my surprised face when I found them, or they found me.

Photo: C. R. Wilker

Imagine the suspense God created for his people when he said he’d send a Saviour. It wasn’t the five or eight minutes that it takes to find a person, as in our game, it was centuries. We’re told the people waited through periods of history for their saviour, through many trials and harsh rulers. They waited and waited, and then what did they find? Not what they expected. 

When Jesus came, there was no jumping out from the shadows to say, “Here I am” as an older child might do, or even falling asleep while waiting to be found, as happened once in our home in a game of hide and seek when Dad took too long to find his young daughter.

Advent reminds us of that wait and those dark times before the Saviour finally arrived. It seemed as though it was so long that people forgot the clues (the signs) that God gave for the coming. The wise men looked in old scrolls for clues and the shepherds had no idea what was about to happen that night on the hillside.

People might have expected a king to deliver them, and if it was to be a baby, that he’d be born in some elegant place to important people, and certainly not in a stable as Jesus was born (Luke 2). The players were all important, it was just different than people expected.

This Advent season, remember God’s special gift, his surprises, as well as the expectations that God redeem his people, then rejoice, “Here you are!” when you find him.

Carolyn Wilker, author and editor from Ontario, Canada.

                                                   photo by James Woo, Clickr Photography

 www.carolynwilker.ca

Man's plans; God's Purpose - M. Laycock

The men of Dawson City Gospel Chapel had just finished a prayer breakfast and were about to start work on the new church building. They were all anxious to get at it because the date of the dedication had been set and they were behind schedule. The pastor had prayed that morning for a couple more carpenters to help with the work.

They were about to begin when there was a knock on the door. The pastor answered and listened patiently to the man's story. He and his son had been trying to leave town, heading for Alaska on their vacation. But every time they tried to drive up the long hill out of town their vehicle broke down. "I was told there's someone here who is a good mechanic," he said. "Could I get him to have a look?" The pastor invited him in and explained his situation to the other men. Then he turned to the man and asked his name. "Bud 

Carpenter," the man responded. "And this is my son, Josh Carpenter."

He was a little puzzled when the men started to laugh, until the pastor told him what he had just prayed a few moments before answering the knock on the door. Bud then laughed with them and explained that he was taking his son to Alaska as a graduation gift and they really had no firm time schedule. "I'm pretty good with a hammer. We'd be happy to help for a few days." They stayed for a week. The mechanic looked at their vehicle and found nothing wrong with it. The work was finished on time and the pair continued on their way after the dedication celebration. They had no trouble climbing that hill.

I was thinking about that story the other day and thinking about how we are all like those Carpenters in a way. All of us are busily going on our way, with our own agendas and plans. But sometimes God throws a bit of a detour into the plan. We can react to it in two ways. We can fight it and keep on trying to climb that hill, or we can stop and listen for His voice to see if perhaps there is another plan in place.

A friend told me a story about going on a mission trip to India. The plans had been well made, the itinerary laid out and everything seemed in place. But when they arrived no-one met them. My friend said it was interesting to see how the group members handled it. Those from North America were stressed and some were angry. They wanted to call some one and get it all straightened out so they could get back on schedule. But there were two fellows from Africa who counselled a different way. They suggested the group wait and pray. So they slept in the train station that night and prayed.

The next day a young man arrived on a motorcycle. "I've been sent to get you," he said. But he was not from the mission and had no idea why he was sent to get them. After some debate they decided to go with him and ended up having a tremendous time of ministry and growth in his village. Nothing was structured. Each day was a routine of waking up and praying to see what God wanted them to do. And each day they were blessed. They never did connect with the original group they were supposed to work with but they all knew they had done what God intended.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

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Marcia's devotionals have won awards in Canada and the US. Her devotional ebook for authors, Abundant Rain is now available for Kindle. Visit her website to learn more about Marcia's writing and speaking ministry.