(2014 post) This morning I was listening to the first advent reading from God in the Manager put together from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings.  It had been a hard night.  At midnight last night, we learned that fellow workers here had died.  How do you celebrate Christmas in times like this?  How do you celebrate when your heart aches and the tears come in force. It has been a hard year for our team-full of too many losses and too many good byes. Sometimes I have to remind myself that we are not alone in our grief.  All over the world, people are grieving the loss of loved ones to Ebola, the violence of the racial tension in Ferguson, marriages ending, and senseless killings in Iraq and Syria.  In the reading, Dietrich talked of Jesus knocking at the door.  I was reminded that Jesus is knocking at the door of this land. Some are answering the door while others are fighting against what Jesus can bring.   Nevertheless he is knocking.  When Dietrich wrote this letter to his parents, he was in prison but told his family to wait in anticipation of Christ coming.   He reminded them that it is in hard times (for them WWII) that we need to anticipate his coming the most.  So I am waiting for Jesus this season.  Even thought it is hard, I am clinging tightly to His promises and sovereignty in all things.  

Wait with me in anticipation of Jesus coming.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.


(2015 addition) It has been over a year since I wrote this post but the message still stands.  The circumstances have changed.  Our team personally is waiting on flight permissions.  ISIS is spreading its message of hate.  America and Europe are trying to decide what to do about the refuge crisis.  People are scared. There are debates about gun laws and immigration.  On my side of the world, people are just trying to survive in a bad economy and hope that ISIS doesn’t come their way.  They have already seen too much war and don’t need to see more.  So in this season of uncertainty, we wait in hope and anticipation.  Come quickly Lord Jesus