The Great Commission requires disciples of Jesus to learn to observe everything that Jesus commanded. Jesus never commanded disciples to observe Advent. Jesus never commanded disciples to celebrate Christmas. But Jesus did command His disciples to wait for Him.

We do a number of things that aren’t prescribed by a Scripture verse that are good for us, things aimed to help us learn Christ’s commands and help us build strength to follow Him. For example, we have reasons for our Sunday morning order of service, including the fact that any/every liturgy accomplishes something, so we might as well choose wisely. We worship as an assembly the way we do based on principles for a purpose. The five Cs are an outline that—by God’s grace and through His Word and Spirit—enables each member to behold Christ and become more like Him.

God calls His ministers to serve the church toward Christlikeness. We proclaim Christ, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that every man would become complete/perfect in Christ. As a minister of the Word, desiring the progress of faith and joy and obedience for the entire church, I think some meditation on advent will be good for our wisdom, along with some warning and teaching.

Seasonal sermons are not a default for the holidays; I have convictions about the glories of sequential exposition. But for what we need in these days, a month of advent activities might just bless us more than a month of pre-Easter sermons. We have more ways to mature as disciples in terms of understanding and living in light of the incarnation than we do the resurrection, though more of the former can’t help but make better the latter.

Like we recognize some principles of wisdom in the sabbath without following Mosaic Law regarding the Sabbath, we recognize some principles of wisdom and faith in advent without tracing every Advent tradition. Or word advent means “the coming.” It’s a derivative from the Latin word advenire, “to come to.” It refers to an arrival, usually the arrival of a notable person or event. Some Christians have specified the four Sundays before Christmas with distinct names and candles and colors, all to remember Christ’s first advent. While that’s worth celebrating itself—God come in flesh to save sinful man—it also reminds us of His second coming.

There are certain activities appropriate to the advent season. I’m going to highlight four, starting with the one I think we are the worst at: 1) Waiting, 2) Feasting, 3) Singing, 4) Giving.

Waiting is an appropriate subject for a heavenly host of reasons, including that this is the first Sunday of advent, so it is the furthest Sunday from Christmas.

So, what are we waiting for?

The key text for today is Titus 2:11-14, with special attention on verse 13.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11–14 ESV)

Grace has appeared, it showed up, it arrived. Grace advented. Grace was enfleshed in Jesus and has been received through Jesus for sake of salvation (John 1:14-17).

That grace has gone to work, discipling us ( training in verse 12 is an translation of παιδεύω - developing our abilities to make appropriate choices, providing instruction for informed and right living). Grace shapes our affirmations and denials. We renounce/refuse/disown ungodliness and we embrace lives that are sober, righteous, and godly. Grace develops people who adorn the doctrine of God our Savior (Titus 2:10).

And that adorned, godly living requires waiting. The present age is good, it’s not our goal. The present age is when we’re being purified, but not when we’re glorified. We are disciples in this present age, and He redeemed us to make us a people who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Our waiting (at least in this paragraph) isn’t idle; we don’t sit on our hands or wait it out in an underground man cave. But it’s still waiting.

What is waiting? What is godly waiting? How can advent help us with adorned waiting?

Waiting is inevitable in one way, because time moves forward on a line and we just can’t force an upcoming point to hurry up. A future minute will become the present minute at the right time, but even Augustine can’t make time go faster.

As Jonathan says, “The time will pass regardless of whether or not you do the hard thing. You may as well have something to show for it.” Godly waiting is more than more than a constant stand by. But it starts by submitting, with thanks, to God for His scheduling.

And waiting is required by God. It’s required not merely because of Providential timing, it’s required by His command. Not only do we have a bunch of examples, we have explicit imperatives.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
(Psalm 27:14 ESV)

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers
in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
(Psalm 37:7 ESV)

“Wait on the LORD.” So again, this has to be more than merely crossing off days on the calendar. This is knowing that He knows that He will fix the problem, but not now. He wants us to know ahead of time, and to hold onto that anticipation with the proper heart-posture.

Waiting is, therefore, part of God’s purposes. Why did the Lord “invent” waiting? It’s at least to prove His own patience, and then share that attribute into us (James 1:4). It also shows His saving power; He can deliver from what is really bad. And it gives Him opportunity to highlight His promises. The thing is, He really remembers. Time doesn’t make Him forget. And our faith pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6).

It is long, and sometimes brutal. I read a story about U.S. Admiral James Stockdale who was imprisoned for eight years in Vietnam, tortured over twenty times, with no promise of release. When asked about the difference between those who did and didn’t survive the war camp, Stockdale said, “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Jim Collins called this the Stockdale Paradox:

“You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” (Collins, Good to Great)

That said, what surprised me most while mediating on waiting and searching the Scriptures about waiting, is that those who wait well are renewed.

they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 ESV)

Waiters “gain new strength” (NASB), mutabunt fortitudinem (VLG), that is, they are changed unto fortitude. There is fresh supply of strength in the waiting station; waiting gathers rather than drains. The place of waiting (even suffering) is the place of (endurance to character to invincible hope) blessing.

Conclusion

Godly waiting is controlling how we feel, while we feel bad. Waiting is self-control while uncomfortable, knowing that it could be different, knowing that it will be better, but trusting God for the when.

The advent principle is wait training. We get to exercise waiting muscles. It’s a short season—less than a month, to practice glad, eager, anticipation that good will arrive, even though we mey hit points along the way that provoke strong feelings that we wish it were over.

We teach our kids to wait, to anticipate. And we, human parents, know to give them good things. We know not just what will be better for them, we know how much they’ll enjoy opening the gift. Their gratitude will be increased, not decreased, even though they will have had a couple less weeks to wear the sweater, or whatever. How much more our heavenly Father!

Wait like a Boss. What does a Boss Waiter (BW) do? Renounce shortcuts, renounce cheating the discomfort. Renounce lies about the discomfort, believe that better is coming. Do all your good works now, and don’t be precious about the present age except in so far as it was given by God as part of His glory-increasing project.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7–8 ESV)

Fix your hearts, with both meanings of fix. Fix, as in correct/recalibrate your expecations. And fix, as in establish, get the roots down deep.

Wait like a Boss. Wait for the blessed hope, the next advent of our Lord.

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Charge

Christians, wait by faith not by sight. Wait by faith no matter how long the wait. Wait by faith in the one who never forgets, who never fails, who holds you fast. Wait from faith to faith in the LORD your God; He is the faithful God (see Deuteronomy 7:9).

Benediction:

[Y]ou are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:7–9 ESV)