Why do we do Advent? To dwell on the waiting of Israel and our waiting for the return of Christ. But why should we dwell on waiting?

There is a certain degree to which we cannot spend all our time waiting. If we only look forward, if we only ponder the future, if we only consider what God has yet to do, we will never be able to appreciate what God has already done and the period in which we already live. We have salvation, a sure heritage in Christ, and we should spend time celebrating that and giving glory to God for His mighty works and faithful deliverance.

We wait so that we can give praise more earnestly. We appreciate that which is coming more when we experience a period of anticipation. And we are really in that period, because death is still among us, sin is still in our bodies, we still have days of trouble. Advent is a period of honesty about the hope that is yet to come, that allows our worship to be more honest as we see what we have received and the assurance that the long-awaited hope is coming and will come. Do not speed through this season, or ignore it, or treat it lightly. Honestly dwell on the anticipation, let yourself feel the fullness of waiting for our final deliverance, and let that guide your praise in the new year.

God promised that He would do a new thing. Elsewhere He describes a new covenant that He would bring to His people, one in which there would be no need for further instruction of the Law because it would be written on the hearts of His people. Here, though, He focuses on the glory of that coming day, when He would do something so new and wonderful that creation itself would benefit, that the beasts would glorify God, and that His people would declare His praise.

This coming day is promised to be one where justice reigns, where the people of God have their needs met, where righteousness shall be the norm.

When Christ came the first time, He initiated the fulfillment of God's promises, but He isn't done yet. We wait in eager hope for that coming day where there will be no more wickedness, no more strife, no more injustice. As we wait, we must see the work God has done and offer Him the praise He is due. And while we wait, we must look forward in eager anticipation of the final fulfillment of His promises.

Advent is a period built into the Christian year that refocuses our attention on the waiting, on the anticipation, on the pending joy that we can feel bubbling up inside us as we look to that ever-closer day. As we inch toward Christmas, let us ask God to teach us to enjoy the waiting and take solace in the promise.