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Psalm 25

Psalm 25. I wait for you, O LORD; I lift up my soul to my God. In you I trust; do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one is disgraced who waits for you, but only those who lightly break faith. Make known to me your ways, LORD; teach me your paths.

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Psalm 25

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  1. Psalm 25 I wait for you, O LORD; I lift up my soul to my God. In you I trust; do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one is disgraced who waits for you, but only those who lightly break faith. Make known to me your ways, LORD; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. For you I wait all the long day, because of your goodness, LORD.

  2. Advent: Waiting in Joyful Hope What is Advent? Advent comes from the Latin word for "arrival" or "coming," When you come to serve the LORD, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity. Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great. Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in him. You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. (Sirach 2:1-7)

  3. Advent: Waiting in Joyful Hope What is Advent? It is a period of preparation for the birth of Jesus. Admire not how sinners live, but trust in the LORD and wait for his light (Sirach 11:21) No time of the year is busier, more packed with activities and projects, or more filled with expectations than the weeks before Christmas.  Trying to observe Advent may seem like one more activity to find time for in an already hectic schedule. 

  4. Advent is really God's project As we celebrate the joyful hope and anticipation of Advent we have the opportunity to shape our lives in a new way:  to open ourselves to the presence and action of God in our lives.  In the words of St. Augustine, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, Oh God."

  5. We make a path for the Lord in our lives.  Advent is a season to prepare again for the coming of God's Son into the world and into our lives, and for His future coming in glory.  It is a time to reflect on our Savior who gives hope to the poor, heals the sick, and liberates the oppressed. 

  6. We make a path for the Lord in our lives.  As a parish family, we ask ourselves how we can share in the spirit of Advent with those in need in our parish and elsewhere.  By our Advent prayer and ministry, we look forward to the celebration of Christmas and to the second coming of Christ at the end of time.

  7. Waiting ... we spend so much of our time waiting. • We wait in line at the coffee shop or at Kroger’s.  • We linger in a “waiting room” at the doctor’s office, waiting to hear our name finally called.  • We wait while our car is being serviced.  • We impatiently wait for our spouse or our children to finally “get ready.”  • We wait for the group ahead of us to finish putting and to clear the green.  You’re probably even waiting for this session to end so you can (go home!).

  8. Often waiting is look upon as a negative thing Something we must painfully and impatiently endure. Waiting is a dreaded chore.  Waiting is a burden.  Waiting is such a waste of our valuable time.  Waiting is a most unpleasant thing that we in this fast-paced culture suffer through, something we would like to avoid at all costs.

  9. But waiting can also be a positive experience.  Waiting can be a time of expectancy.  Waiting can be when we are privileged to participate in a escalating period of anticipation, where the excitement grows greater each day.  Waiting can be a time of joyous longing.  • Like when we wait through nine months of a pregnancy.  • Or like when we wait for a loved one to return home after a prolonged trip.  • Or like when we look forward to that day when we shall be reunited with those loved ones who have gone before us.  Waiting can be a time of great hope.

  10. Three aspects of waiting during Advent.  First, during Advent we join the people of the past as they waited for Israel's deliverance and redemption. • Our struggle to follow God's will sends us back to the past, especially to the Scriptures, to see how others searched for and found God. • Second, as we wait we acknowledge God's presence in our lives (Emmanuel, meaning "God-with-us"). • We attempt to identify how God comes into our daily activities.  • Third, during Advent we wait for Jesus' future coming in glory at the end of time. • We live in the "already but not yet." Jesus has already come once in history and He continues to be present in our lives every day but He has not yet arrived in glory. • Christians have been waiting for the Return of Jesus for 2,000 years.

  11. There are lots of wait-ers in Scripture • Adam waits for the Lord God to give him a partner.  • Sarah and Abraham wait a l-o-n-g time to have a son.  • The Hebrews cry out to God in their suffering and oppression and then they wait for God to raise up Moses and rescue them.  • The Israelites wander in the wilderness of the Sinai, waiting for forty years to pass so they can enter the Promised Land.  • Israel impatiently waits for a king to be chosen who will lead them and bring them security and peace.  • Israel waits in a forsaken land until that day when they can finally return home after a generation away in Exile.  • Israel waits for centuries for a Messiah who will restore the nation and establish peace and justice in the land. • The Messiah, Jesus waits in the Garden of Gethsemane for the will of God to be accomplished through him.

  12. In Psalm 130 we hear these words “My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning.  O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; with him there is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from their sins.” 

  13. “Waiting for the Lord” is filled with expectation and hope and great anticipation ... for with the Lord’s coming, there is mercy; with the Lord’s coming there is redemption; with the Lord’s coming there is forgiveness.  Mercy, redemption, and forgiveness ... are stupendous things, great and precious gifts ... for which the wait is ... truly worth it.

  14. Isaiah 40 alerts us to the hopeful side of waiting “those 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.”  Waiting is not intended to be exhausting, where our strength is depleted, but waiting can be empowering, as we are renewed and re-created.  Waiting is not to be wearisome, but a time when burdens are thrown off so we can run unimpeded. Waiting is not to be “done in” to the point of passing out, but energizing, uplifting, being awake and alert.  Waiting is to be bursting with hope and anticipation.

  15. We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ! We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance. (Romans 8:22-25)

  16. Waiting is really nothing more than trusting in the Lord Trusting that the Lord is Good.  Remembering amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season, that God is faithful and gracious and merciful.  Believing with our hearts that the Jesus is coming, just as God has promised.  Recognizing that waiting really isn’t so bad.  Let us “wait for the Lord,” entrusting our lives to God.  Let us wait expectantly, eagerly and hopefully, like little children waiting anxiously for Christmas morning to finally arrive.

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