Anticipation

Some of you may recall the old Heinz 57 commercial where the ketchup seems to take forever to come out of the bottle.  The jingle that played underneath the commercial was something similar to this, “Anticipation is making me wait.”  As I think about the upcoming holiday season and hear the voices of children, this jingle pops into my head.  We are in a period of anticipation and it can often drive us wild. 

More than the upcoming Christmas, the anticipation that is driving me crazy is the completion of our projection system project.  Most of you know that the video projector arrived early this fall.  We have been using it for a variety of classes and events in the fellowship hall. The new sound equipment arrival and the completion of the sound/projection booth occurred in early September. In November we completed the fundraising for this project and purchased the computer, some software, and some worship materials.  The screen was to arrive on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but due to the snow that caused problems with the roads, it did not make it.  So at the time of my writing this letter to you, we are still waiting.  The anticipation is tremendous!

These things have caused me to reflect on what it means to anticipate.  As Christians, our greatest anticipation of course is the return of Christ.  Much like the Israelites awaited the first arrival of the Messiah, we await the Messiah’s return.  Some times it seems like the fulfillment of the promise is never going to arrive.  But remember that those who wait upon the Lord shall see their joys multiplied.  So we patiently await the Lord’s return and the fulfillment of all the Lord’s promises and blessings.

May the anticipation of this Advent and Christmas fill you with great hope and joy.  Remember that just like the Heinz 57 commercial, the outcome is definitely worth the wait!