The Coming One

The liturgical calendar of the church has one season that is all about waiting. expectation, and hoping.  It is, of course, the season of Advent.  Beginning four Sundays before Christmas, it is a season that lends itself to preparing for the celebration of the Christ-event in Bethlehem.  While the secular culture rushes through December, a faithful observance of this particular season creates an atmosphere filled with anticipating what is to come.  Around here on the farm, nothing is really guided by the liturgical calendar of the church, but there are numerous seasons filled with anticipation, nonetheless.

I thought of this today as I noticed that the pecans are starting to fall to the ground.  This early they are green and hardly fit to eat, but they are falling.  Their falling heightens the anticipation of the time of harvest when the ground is covered with brown pecans ready for market.  There are numerous seasons filled with waiting, expectation, and hope here on the farm.  It happens as the hay becomes ready for the baling.  It happens as the garden begins to produce summer vegetables.  It happens as dark clouds are watched during a dry spell. 

And, there are also seasons of expectation in our spiritual life.  Unlike the season of expectation on the church calendar and like the seasons of expectations on the farm, they come often in our spiritual life.  It is never just a one time a year experience.  In the book of Psalms David wrote, "As a deer longs flowing streams, so my longs for You, O God.  My soul thirst for God, for the living God."  (Psalm 42:1)  Numerous are the times when we find ourselves longing for that intimacy with our Father God.  Many are the times when we find ourselves in a season of waiting for a Word from Him, or some expression of His care and presence.  There is within us a spirit that cannot be satisfied until there is a sense of connection with the One who brought us into being and whenever we wonder away, we find ourselves looking and hoping with expectation that He will surely be seen again as the Coming One.