Message for All- by Jesse Greist
December 13, 2020
“What I Learned from Waiting”
I don’t know about you, but this is the time of year when it seems like all we do is wait. And it is so hard to wait! Holidays are all around us, with presents and lights and food, and songs and games. I just can’t wait for them! This year, though, it’s even harder. So many of us find ourselves stuck in between all that this season brings and all that this 2020 season is. In this December of profound stillness and anticipation, not only are we waiting for holidays to warm our spirits and senses, we find ourselves waiting for the time when we can be together in the same physical space again and share laughter and hugs without the internet freezing us in place. We’re waiting and hoping for a sense of security, peace and respect to come into our daily lives. We’re waiting for medicine, food security, learning, and love. There is so much we are waiting for and sometimes it can seem like we’ve done so much waiting, we perhaps begin to think “you know what? I’ve waited long enough” and it can be tempting to jump ahead and do the things we’re supposed to wait for right now. When I get those thoughts and begin to think “What’s the harm in getting people together for just one dinner, or maybe I should just open that one present now… that’s when I pump the brakes and look to my Unitarian Universalist faith for guidance. One of the six sources of Unitarian Universalism is the rich Jewish and Christian traditions, and they offer great advice about waiting and patience. In the story of Hanukkah, when the Jewish Maccabees enter their temple and stay there with a huge army nearby, they find only a tiny bit of sacred olive oil to light their menorah lamp with. They know that they need eight days to make more olive oil to burn but they only have enough for one day. It would have been very tempting for them to get impatient and say “well, we don’t have enough, let’s leave today and see how our luck fares against whatever is out there.” If they had, the story might be very different. Instead, they waited, were patient, and were rewarded with the miracle of eight nights of light and warmth. Their story is part of what keeps my faith in the light of science in today’s pandemic.
The Christian tradition holds this time of waiting as sacred as well. Since November 29th, we’ve been in the time of advent, when Christians patiently wait for the celebration of Jesus’s birth. This time is incredibly important because it helps us learn how to be patient, and about the power of hope. In many ways, the waiting is more important than the reward. What we do and how we treat each other before hard times are resolved is the true reflection of who we are inside. By waiting and thinking and reflecting, we learn a lot about ourselves and the work that is necessary before we celebrate the outcome. Advent teaches me that while opening a present is easy, choosing a gift to share with the world is tough but essential. While celebrating the passing of a regime or the end of a pandemic is wonderful, keeping light of hope alive while that regime or pandemic has power over us is the real victory. If I wear a mask and zoom with you today, I help tomorrow’s salvation to be born. The time will come my friends! That is the advent message I share, may it bring us hope as we wait and wait and wait and wait and wait….