This past Sunday (Nov. 26), I spoke about Waiting on God from Psalm 130. I did not recognize the link immediately, but I was talking with my son about a news item and the idea of things taking time came up again. The news item was about the Keystone XL Pipeline project and how Nebraska had finally approved a longer route. Sheldon noted that he remembers that project being a discussion in his grade six class. He asked how they could still be working on that same project so many years later. That was a good question. I did a little online checking and this has been in planning and process at least as far back as 2010.

It made me think of both God and the church. God has been working on His human redemption project since Adam and Eve sinned. In fact, He had it in His heart from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8). He has even thought of giving up on us but stuck to it with Noah and his family (Gen. 6:5-8). God was ready to destroy the Israelites and start over with Moses but Moses interceded with God and God continued His redemption plan (Exo. 32:7-14). It was about 1,500 years from the Exodus to the birth of Jesus and yet the Bible says that Jesus came at just the right time (Rom. 5:6), or in the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4).

So, now, in this Christmas season, we are looking for, not the first coming of Jesus the Messiah, but for the return of Jesus. Not only that, we are looking for God to do things in our own lives and in the life of the church. How patient are we? How dedicated to prayer, even as things seemed delayed? Are we committed to God’s project even while we wait for the “fullness of time”? I know that the temptation to dictate to God what I believe the timeline should be. However, even Jesus was not willing to do that when it came to His return (Mat. 24:36). He trusted His Father and His Father’s timing.

In this season of singing “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” in a minor key with the feeling of longing and of waiting, let us do so also be singing “O Come All Ye Faithful” and be faithful until the end (Heb. 3:14). Let us with full hearts, full of faith in God who is faithful, press forward in Him and His promises – knowing that He is more than able to fulfill all in His timing.

Have a very Merry Christmas plus know and experience God in greater ways in 2018!

Journeying with you,

Pastor Merril