"All time, both history and in personal life, is expectation. Time itself is waiting, waiting not for another time, but for that which is eternal. (Paul Tillich)

We have a hard time waiting. And yet a lot of our time is waiting: waiting to be checked out at the store; waiting for our doctor's appointment; waiting for people to come for dinner. But some of our waiting has an expectancy to it, for instance, when we are waiting for the coming of a friend or waiting to hear a good report from our doctor.

This Advent season we are to have an expectancy  in our hearts. What is that expectancy? To commemorate and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Unfortunately, we can get so caught up with the externals of Christmas that we miss the real meaning. It is not the decorations, the shopping, the presents, the preparation of the Christmas meal that are important. It is the preparation in our hearts to receive Jesus in a fresh new way at Christmas. This is what we truly should be waiting and expecting: a new birth of Jesus in our lives.