This is something I wrote for an advent devotional one of my sending churches put out this year.

Waiting…

Especially in fast-paced, efficiency-oriented Western culture, that word seems to have a negative connotation.  For me I think of idleness, listening to the clock ticking away seconds and minutes, an uncomfortable in-between stage.  It’s an unpleasant time to just make it through in order to get to the anticipated end.

But James’ illustration of the farmer paints a different picture (James 5:7-8).  He is anything but idle, continuing to work the ground as he waits.  It is a picture of partnership between him and God, who provides the “autumn and spring rains” and is author of the mystery that turns a small, hidden seed into life-giving, “precious crop”.

It is a picture of faith that this labor is not in vain, though the process lies hidden beneath the soil for so much of the year.

It is a picture of perseverance, as James tells us to “be patient and stand firm”, even in the face of suffering (v. 10).

It is a picture of anticipation, as the farmer knows that something good is coming, a reason to celebrate.

For me, as I look toward Christmas, it is a reminder that waiting for Christ and his Kingdom to come here in Bangkok is a joyful and active thing.  While I often focus on what is not yet or what is needed, I can forget that there are seeds germinating in the soil even now.  When my work feels fruitless, this is a challenge to trust God with the seeds I have planted.

Here in Bangkok, few people know the King of Kings, but they are highly devoted to their earthly king.  The King of Thailand will celebrate his 80^th birthday this December, and Thais have been doing many things to anticipate the event.  From wearing yellow every Monday, to an upsurge in charity and environmental work to honor their king, it is clearly on the forefront on everyone’s minds.

As I anticipate Christmas, this is a challenge to me.  If this is how Thais honor a man who has served them well, how much more should we honor our King and Savior as we await his coming birthday!  Would our continued planting of seeds of the Kingdom around us be a way to anticipate our Lord’s birthday and future coming.