During Winter time, the natural world experiences a period of waiting. The leaves have fallen, the flowers are gone, things look grey and bare. We know that there are seeds planted in the ground, hidden and dormant, but you might look out at your garden or at the flower beds in the park and wonder whether the colour and life of Spring will ever return.
I wonder if you ever waited a long time for something – a parcel, a job, some news, or something else – and at the end of your waiting, when the thing finally came, it turned out to be very different from what you expected? Maybe you were surprised, even disappointed, that it didn’t seem to live up to all that you had hoped?
Beyond waiting for Spring, or waiting for parcels or jobs, some of us have waited on God. Maybe we wanted him to act, to answer a prayer, or to fulfil our dream. Perhaps you have experienced disappointment with God, if those things haven’t come, or haven’t lived up to your expectations. It is important that, rather than ignoring our struggles, we bring them to God. God can handle us being honest with him about how we feel.
In our service this Sunday, we welcome Lucy Cook who will be helping us to explore these feelings and what it means to have hope-filled expectations.
Everyone is welcome at Wooler URC.
Wooler URC Livestream – Sunday 17 December 2023, Advent 3
