How good are we at waiting? In a task-driven society, it is easy to be overwhelmed with meeting deadlines and hitting targets within a strict timeframe – even during a tier 4 lockdown! Indeed, in many countries of the ‘Commonwealth’, Britain’s obsession with getting things done on time is the subject of much humour. John Cleese’s iconic film ‘clockwise’ underlines the absurdity of always trying to get things done at exactly the right time. Perhaps we need to learn the art of waiting – waiting on God. The Gospel passage for this week, the week beginning Sunday, 27th December, is the story of the prophet(ess) Anna. In the story, Anna is very old, perhaps over 100 years old and she had spent all her adult life worshipping God in the Temple. Day and night, she fasted and prayed while waiting on God. In the end, just before she died, her patience was rewarded. She was one of the few people to see Jesus in the flesh. Her eyes had seen the Son of God! Perhaps in 2021 one of the best targets we can have is to devote less time to worrying about meeting tight deadlines and more time to waiting on God. If we do this, it is my prayer that, just like Anna, we may see God.
Old Testament: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Psalm: 148
Galatians: 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40