With the season of Advent beginning are we patiently waiting?

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption," it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself.

We are patiently waiting,
Longing for the day
Helplessly anticipating,
Too hear our Lord Jesus say
Well done My son,
My good and faithful child
And when we hear His voice
Will we stand or will we fall
When we sense His beckoning call
Will we be filled with joyful apprehension
and awesome wonder to see Him smile?
Yet still we go on contemplating,
Yes patiently we are waiting
Humbly, anticipating,
Seeing Jesus face to face
Held ever so gently
In His sweet loving embrace
No more pain and suffering,
No more sorrow will we know
When we see Jesus on His throne
We will be seen as He is seen
Known as He is known
Oh how we long to be
In the presence of our King
Caught up in His glory so bright
Never to see another night
Will we stand or will we fall
When the roll up yonder is called?

Sandy Perry