Worth the waitTherefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. 2 Peter 3: 14-15 Wait? Why should I?
Wait? Not if I can’t at least multi-task the hours away if I must be forced to wait. I hate waiting. Truth be told… I’m not very good at it… and it looks like our society is really terrible at it too. We are cursed in our waiting, aren’t we? Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things… But we ARE waiting! And most of us don’t even remember what we are really waiting for. What are we aching for with all our heart and soul? Whether we know it or not, we are waiting for the return of Jesus in all his Glory. Not just Christmas Day but the day, His day, the day he “comes to judge both the living and the dead” The GREAT day where the Kingdom of God is fulfilled in glory and we are brought once and for all to our heavenly home with all the saints and all the angels. The day when the Kingdom is complete and God’s people are restored just as it was in the beginning and was meant to be for all time.
…strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish… Hmmm. Sounds like a Christmas carol, “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.” You mean while I’m waiting, I’m supposed to be doing some sort of spiritual housecleaning? Well, sort of. We can’t ‘clean up’ well enough to ever be presentable to God on the last day of time. But, if we know Jesus, really know him as our Savior and Lord, then we also know him AS our peace, our purity. We know that HE makes us clean, without spot or blemish, without sin! No need to comb my hair or fix my make-up to prepare for Christ’s return, for it is Jesus who has readied me, IS readying me daily as I strive to remain in His will and love him more day by day.
…and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. Maybe, just maybe, we have been waiting such a long, long time because the Lord loves us so much. He wants each and every one of us to know him personally so that we can be with Him in the last, when the kingdom is fulfilled. Preparing to celebrate Christ's birth reminds us to examine our lives and prepare a place in our hearts "where such a mighty guest may come." There is still time for our salvation! And if so, then we also have been blessed with time to share the Good News of the birth of Our Savior, born so long ago so that we (even now in our rushed, harried, impatient and multi-tasking world) may know Him as “He comes to make His blessings flow,” for all men and women, “far as the curse is found.” And that is worth waiting for!
Blessings, Matthew+ Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP p. 211 | 
