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Advent greetings to you all in Jesus’ name!

My computer is soooo slow! It takes a good six minutes to heat up once I’ve powered it “ON.” And then, it takes another three minutes to remind me that I need to renew my subscription to an “anti-virus.” By the time I am presented with the option of “logging in” I have already counted how many spiders there are in each corner of my office ceiling! Loading... loading... loading... I can’t stand waiting too long – and I can’t wait standing too long either. I think I have what John Ortberg describes as “hurry sickness.”

The world we live in today, is a world where almost everything we want can be obtained with the click of a mouse. Dining, no longer requires sitting down around a table – we can now order at a window and eat in our cars while making our way to the next appointment. Such are clear symptoms of “hurry sickness.” We’re all in a rush! Shortcuts can be time-saving, but we often lose much experience and learning when we live with an “I want it NOW” attitude. What we need is to SLOW DOWN.

We are in the season of waiting and anticipating! Advent provides for the Christian communities worldwide a time to reflect and expect as we journey toward the day God came to live among us – incarnate in Jesus Christ. Christmas should be more than a shopping rush or a single Day of gifts and celebration. The story of Christmas begins with its anticipation toward the arrival of the greatest gift the world will ever receive – Jesus – our Salvation and our Messiah. The anticipation and waiting provides space to notice the particular detail. Waiting enables our eyes to be open to see things clearly. I never knew how many spiders I worked with!

Is Christmas going to be a rush for you? Just another day? There is much more to learn about Christmas when we rid ourselves of “hurry sickness.” The birth of Christ is a great example of the beauty of an “unhurried life” – there is a delicate process involved in bearing a child before birth inaugurates the gift of life. Good things take time. One of my favourite sayings inspired by Matthew 6:26-34 is this: “Nature never hurries; yet everything is accomplished.”

My friends, take your time this Christmas.

Blessings,

Rev. Gary Mauga.