This was written for an Advent service at Trent Vineyard church in Nottingham
A blinding flash of light
A cacophony of eruptions, reactions, formations, creations
Day and night, sky and sea, land and plant, sun and moon
Fish and bird, animal and …
And.
A pause.
Creation groans in eager anticipation.
Waiting for the sons and daughters to be revealed.
“Not yet”, the great expanse whispers.
God says… “wait”.
Life holds its breath. For tens, hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions of years.
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
And God? God is in the waiting.
Faithful to his promise.
Unto earth the man is born.
One called Abram
Called by God
To leave
A country, a people
And journey into a promise; a new land.
“I will make you a great nation”
Says the Lord. To this man:
Seventy-five, without child. There is laughter.
But God leads him by the hand
Into the darkness of his desert night
And says: “look up”
“See my stars and count them if you can
Abundant, extravagant, a scattered magnitude of my glory.
Such shall be your offspring.”
A seed is sown, hope conceived. And yet
The years they pass and pass and pass.
A pregnant pause, without a pregnancy.
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
And God? God is in the waiting
Faithful to his promise
Unto them the child is born. There is laughter.
And Isaac is his name.
But Isaac shall not see the land of promise
And nor his son to follow.
Nor his, nor his, nor his.
God’s word grows feint
A chosen people, favoured by God?
Enslaved, oppressed, lives bitter with hard labour.
Where is God? Where is God?
Four centuries of excruciating silence.
[long pause]
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
[long pause]
But God? God is in the waiting.
Faithful to his promise.
Unto them a prophet is born.
Moses, called, reluctantly obeys.
“Let the people go”
The message to the Pharaoh
Hearts are hardened, God’s hand stretched out.
Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness.
And death.
The passing over, the blood of the lamb
Exodus, freedom, escape.
The parting of the waters
And then? Forty years they wander, forty years they wonder, forty years they wait.
[long pause]
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
[long pause]
And God? God is in the waiting.
Faithful to his promise.
Unto them a land is given.
Ebb and flow, sow and harvest
Obedience and rebellion
Faith and doubt
Stiff necked and chosen
Judges and Kings
United then divided
North and south
Conquest, destruction, exile, lament.
How long O Lord?
How long?
When will the Messiah come?
When will death be swallowed forever?
When will Israel be restored?
When will the knowledge of God fill the world?
When will the barren land be abundant and fruitful?
When will evil and tyranny stand no more?
Waiting, waiting, waiting
[long pause]
Four centuries of excruciating silence.
[long pause]
Waiting, waiting, waiting
[long pause]
And God? God is in the waiting.
Faithful to his promise.
Unto us a child is born.