Waiting to Rise
by Ginger Metz
Patience, waiting and anticipation – all things our modern lives do not mix with. And yet this is Advent. We wait patiently with anticipation on the coming of our Lord. Our reading in James states:
"Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord."
I'm not a farmer, but reading this made me think about our Christmas tradition of baking Stollen. Stollen is a Christmas sweet bread that comes from Germany. I've been making Dresden Stollen for years. I don't remember why or when my mother and I started this tradition, but every year we spend the entirety of one day making three loaves. Why does it make me think of this passage? Well, there is a lot of waiting. It takes about eight hours from start to finish for these loaves. But the thing is, action time is very minimal. It really amounts to a little work and a lot of waiting.
It might be silly, but it's easy to get discouraged as we wait for the dough to blister or to rise to double its size. So why do we do this every year? The answer is simple: there is not another day like this day all year long. The house smells of butter and yeast; the feel of the bread in your hands is like no other; and the TASTE of a fresh “out of the oven” slice is wonderful!
Maybe this is how we should be living all year round – recognizing that, like the house enveloped in smells of butter and yeast, we are enveloped by God all around us. How the feel of kneading a soft beautiful ball of dough reflects the work our Lord has called us to. And the taste of bread reminding us of the goodness of God – "Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
May we open our eyes to God's Kingdom around us and eagerly anticipate His coming!