Expecting

It's the second week of Advent, and we have moved from hope to preparation. Getting ready for the Messiah is a little bit like expecting a baby, as this sermon suggests. If you have children, think about your experience of preparation. Did I hit the nail on the head?

“Have you heard? Elizabeth is expecting!
Yes, Elizabeth! Old Zechariah’s wife! I understand that she got pregnant right after he saw that vision in the Temple.
Oh, I’m sure that you heard about it. Everybody heard about it. He saw an angel while he was burning incense, and he was struck dumb! And right after that… Well, you know!
Yes, I know… nobody’s seen her. She won’t let anybody see her. But she sends Zechariah to the store with lists of things to buy. Oh, she wants their usual groceries – milk and bread and peanut butter – but she wants other things, too… things like pickles and ice cream. Pickles and ice cream! Of course, she’s pregnant.
Well, you don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. I guess I can’t blame you for that. As old as she is, that baby is something of a miracle. But I saw the delivery truck from the furniture store at their house just last week. They carried in a crib. A crib! Do you think that she’s going to plant flowers in that crib? No, I don’t think so, either.
Old Elizabeth is expecting. Will wonders never cease?!”
(You can read Elizabeth's story in Luke 1:24-25, 57-66.)

“Expecting.” That word is full of possibility! “Expecting” moves us beyond anticipation to preparation. After all, when we hope, we’re not really certain of anything. When we hope, we trust that it something will happen someday; but the details aren’t clear. When will it happen? Where? How? Hope looks forward into the future; but its vision is cloudy.

But expectation – that’s a different kettle of fish! Expectation has a face, a name, sometimes even a timetable! We can actually do some things when we are expecting something. We hope for snow and dream about walking through a winter wonderland; but when we expect snow, we get out the snow shovel.

When parents are expecting a baby, like Elizabeth and Zechariah were, they know what kinds of preparations need to be made. They need to provide a crib for the new baby so that he can sleep safely, clothing to keep him warm, and opportunities for play so that he can grow and learn and mature. The nine months pass quickly with all the preparation that accompanies expecting a child. But new parents also need to prepare to be flexible. They need to prepare for the unexpected. After all, each baby is different. Some are quiet, and some are… not so quiet. Some babies are shy, while others are outgoing. Some babies are easy to care for; while others will push every limit that you try to set for them. Any new parents who believe that they are absolutely ready for that new baby are kidding themselves!

Our preparation for the birth of the Messiah is not really all that different. We know that he’s coming. The sanctuary is decorated; the candles are in the windows; many of us are reading Advent devotionals. But exactly what will happen when he gets here… We don’t know that just yet. Just like new parents, we only know what’s going to happen in very general terms. We know that the Messiah is coming to save us; to bring us good news of God’s love; and to offer us peace beyond our wildest expectations. The prophets told us all those things long ago. But God not only fulfills the old; God surprises us with the new. We can never predict exactly what God will do!

The name of Elizabeth’s new baby is a clue to that. The relatives were going to name him after his father Zechariah. Zechariah was a good family name. It would remind the baby of his father, and maybe his father before him, and maybe even his father before him. The name “Zechariah” was a link to the past. But Zechariah wouldn’t let them do it. “His name is not Zechariah,” the old priest insisted, “His name is John.”

John. That’s a new name, a name suitable for the baby who would prepare the people for a new age… a name for the baby who would proclaim the Kingdom of God in a new way… a name for the baby who would make the way ready for a Messiah who came to conquer not by making war, but by dying on a cross.

As we expect the birth of the Christ child again this year, maybe we should add something to our preparations. There’s nothing wrong with our traditional preparations. Advent would be incomplete without greenery, wreaths, trees, and candles. But maybe we should get ready for something else, something brand new that will change our lives. Maybe we should get ready to be surprised by the newborn Messiah. Maybe we should prepare not only to be comforted, but to be challenged. Maybe we should get ready not only to receive God’s love, but to show it to others. Maybe we should get ready not only to talk about the peace that Jesus offers us as citizens of the Kingdom of God, but to live it.

“Have you heard? We’re expecting – expecting, just like Elizabeth! Oh, I know that it’s unbelievable; but it’s true! We’re expecting – all of us! Will wonders never cease?!”