"Be Still and Wait"
By Janice D. Philpot
Janice is an employee of Edgewood Presbyterian Church in Homewood, Alabama, USA; a suburb of Birmingham. She holds the positions of secretary, bookkeeper, and interim Christian educator.

Advent, that wonderful time of waiting for and celebrating of the birth of our Savior, is here again. I have always looked forward to the rituals of Advent at my church-the annual Advent Workshop and it's making of crafts and wreaths, the hanging of the greens, the soft white glow of the Chrismon tree. And the music, oh, the choir's joyous songs of the hope we hold in the coming of our Christ child! I have always loved this season of "waiting" for the renewed hope in Christ.

But I feel less celebratory, less secure in my hope, this Advent season. It is a feeling that I am sure I share with many members of my church's congregation. This has been a long year of death and dying for our little congregation. Many of us are grieving the death of a parent, a spouse, a partner. Siblings, aunts, uncles, co-workers, and close friends have died, even beloved pets. Not only have I suffered the loss of my father, an aunt, a cousin, and a family friend, but as an employee of my church, I have grieved for every member whose life has been touched by death in some way this year.

As I face the holiday season fraught with pain and sorrow, how can I expect to find hope at the end of Advent's "waiting?" In times of loneliness I read and re-read the psalmist's words, "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). How can I wait and put my trust in God to be filled with hope? Hope for what? Should I hope that the sadness will magically go away, that my loved ones will be returned to me, that life will be as it once was before?

No, this type of hope is unrealistic and unreasonable. Instead, during this Advent time I am seeking the peace of shelter and sanctuary in the Child of Bethlehem. My prayer will not be for the granting of total bliss and happiness, but the blessing of calmness and quietness that the peace of Christ can bring. I will still take part in all of the joyous holiday activities, religious and secular. I will deck the halls and sing the hymns. But it will be the child known as the Prince of Peace for whom I will "be still and wait," this Advent.

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