When I was growing up and my family would take long car rides, I remember repeatedly asking my mom, “When will we get there???” And each and every time, my mom would respond “We’ll get there when we get there and not one-minute sooner.” To say that this was an unsatisfactory answer to an 8-year-old is an understatement. There I was, bouncing around in the backseat, desperate to get wherever it was we were going and this was all my mom had to say to me?! But now, having been on a few more long car rides, I have a better appreciation for my mom’s response. And it’s been a helpful mantra as we’ve been navigating this challenging season of recovery and waiting.

In truth, St. Paul’s has been in a season of Advent for quite some time. Not only have we been waiting and waiting for a return to our buildings, but we’ve been waiting for almost two years to return to our normal life as a community—together instead of distanced, face to face instead of masked, safe and comfortable instead of worried and anxious. And what can anyone say to those who wonder when we’ll be through all of this? We’ll get there when we get there and not one-minute sooner. Yeah, that response still doesn't sound satisfactory. And instead of throwing our heads back and letting our frustrated “UUUUGGGGHHHH” fill the car as I was want to do on many occasions, we Christians are not left to wallow in the backseat. The gift of our liturgical year, especially this season of Advent, can help us prayerfully wait and watch with more excitement than frustration.

At St. Paul’s, we are really living into Advent. We’re in the tension in-between everything falling apart and everything being put back together. And it is both exciting and frustrating. We’re so close and yet even when we arrive for Christmas Eve, we will see clearly that we still have a ways to go. Because though our worship space will be ready for us on Christmas Eve, our buildings will still be under construction. Our wonderful contractor and team have been working around the clock on many, many projects that simply take time. And so this Christmas, we will delight in the joy of meaningful progress towards God, not only in our building but in our lives as well, while still recognizing all of the important work left to do. But while we are still in Advent, I pray that we will steadily move through our days with intention, readying our hearts and minds for all that is to come, but is not yet here.

Advent isn’t just about getting ready for Christmas. It’s about getting ready for God, which is so much more than flooring and sheetrock or decorations and presents. It’s about upending our lives to see that we are fully and utterly dependent upon a God of love and light and grace and mercy. And that even when we feel as though the road is too long, narrow, and crooked, God is at work in our midst, lighting the path forward and setting our path to rights. And we are to take comfort, knowing that with God’s help, we’ll get there when we get there and not one-minute sooner.

Keep the faith, St. Paul’s.