From the Pastor
Belong:
Just Wait…

Pr. Sami Johnson

I’m not very patient, but do you know who is terrible at waiting? My eight-month-old baby, Susanna.

The moment she decides she wants something is the moment she needs to have it. Every moment of waiting is excruciating for her, and for us. Her mood can change from sweet smiles to a pout to a whimper to a wail in seconds! We adults learn not to behave this way when we have to wait, but I don’t think we ever really shake this penchant for impatience.

I don’t know anyone who likes waiting, especially not when they have the choice. Some are better at it than others, they are more patient, but who would revel in waiting? We’ll use any means necessary to avoid waiting; we’re constantly innovating new ways to avoid the wait. At the airport there’s TSA PreCheck and upgrades to shorten the wait, in the grocery store there’s self checkout, there’s fast food and Door Dash, there’s the Fast Pass at Disney. And when waiting is inevitable, what we actually do can hardly be called waiting. Instead, we tend to distract ourselves to help pass the time.

Things weren’t so different for the folks we read about in the Bible. They didn’t much like waiting either. Abraham took matters into his own hands when he grew impatient for the child he was promised. Leaving his wife in the dust, thinking he could expedite God’s plan, he had a baby with his wife’s servant instead. We find another example in the Israelites who couldn’t wait for Moses to descend from the mountain, so they made their own gods with Aaron’s help. Yet again, Jesus’ disciples couldn’t stay awake while he prayed. And after his three days in the grave, they gave up on believing he was who he said he was and retreated into fear instead.

Waiting is hard. It’s countercultural. It seems wasteful. But in the scriptures, waiting is also holy. Because, after years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah did have their baby, even in their old age. After 40 years in the wilderness, the Israelites were delivered into the promised land. And after three days dead in the grave, Jesus overcame death and the grave in his resurrection.

This Advent, this month of December leading up to Christmas, we’re inviting you to willingly enter into this practice of holy waiting.

Perhaps with or without this invitation to wait, you are in a season marked by waiting—waiting for the results, waiting for what is next, waiting in hopeful anticipation, or waiting with dread.

Or maybe, for you, there is no time to wait. Everything is happening now and every moment without a purpose sets you further behind and leaves you scrambling to make up for the wasted time.

I hope you will accept this invitation to reframe waiting as something that is purposeful, holy, and even good.

I know that you could come up with some creative ideas about how to practice waiting. You might choose to discipline yourself to leave your phone out of reach while you wait. Maybe you would consider taking up a practice of looking and noticing instead. For example, I often find myself pulling out my phone while I wait in the checkout line at the grocery store. Maybe you do too. Instead, I want to challenge myself to notice the people in front of me and behind me, in the next line over, the employees behind the register or who are bagging my food, those in line at customer service and the floral department. How does it look like they feel? Are they in a rush? Are they going to or from work?

This noticing might prompt us to respond, too. Most times, I suspect a silent prayer for those around us will be enough. But with others I could imagine perhaps saying hello to start a brief conversation based on something I observe, offering a hand, or even simply a smile.

With the bigger stuff, when you are in seasons of waiting, I wonder how you could redeem that season for good and make it holy. Perhaps you might journal your experiences and your prayers so that you can look back later and be amazed at how some of them were even answered.

As we enter this season of Advent, I hope you will accept this invitation to Just Wait…

Pr. Sami Johnson

Advent and Christmas at Our Savior’s

Here are some scheduling notes for the next several weeks:
• December 1 – First Sunday in Advent
• December 4 – Advent Fair
• December 11 and 18 – Advent worship services, 6:40 p.m., Celebrate Center
• December 24 –
2:00 p.m. – “Christmas GIFT” (Generations in Faith Together) family worship, Celebrate Center
4:00 p.m. – Celebrate and Festive worship services (Festive worship will be televised on KTTW at 9:00 p.m.)
5:00 p.m. – Christmas Eve Meal, Friendship Room
6:00 p.m. – Festive worship service
10:00 p.m. – Festive worship service
• December 25 – Festive worship service, 10:00 a.m.

Baptisms
November 3, 2019
Lydia Vera Stearns, whose parents are Brad and Megan Stearns.

Alden Raymond Piearson, whose parents are Drew and Celina Piearson.

Telecasts
October 27, 2019
Telecasts are sponsored by Bryan Peters and Safe-N-Secure Security Equipment, in memory of Marilyn Peters.

Memorials and Honoraria,
October-November 2019

In Memory of Harriet Bresee
Don and Coryill Weeg

In Memory of Stella Curry
Milt and Marge Hanson
Tom and Karla Hellman

In Memory of Charles Dawdy
Arlen Viste

In Memory of Doretta Helgerson
Mary Birkeland
Diane Cramer
Shon Cronk
Jodi Gross
Shirly Hillgren
Gayle Hooper
Myrna Hotchkiss
Janice Iwen
Lloyd and Donna Knutson
Michael McConnell
Dale and Janet Sample
Glenn and Cynthia Wika

In Memory of Charles Kinnunen
John and Patricia Vasgaard

In Memory of Beverly Miller
Arlen Viste
Glenn and Cynthia Wika

In Memory of Don Pearson
Don and Sarah Abbas
Mario and Delores Candia
Frances Kilen
Joan Nelsen
Curt and Shirley Schafer

In Memory of Ed Sessler
Linda Becker
John and Enid Kinkead
Bill and Judy McLean
Greg and Janet Schmieding

Your Offering Makes a Difference
Your generosity is making a real difference in people’s lives through the mission and ministry of OSL. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving and your passionate commitment to God’s work through this congregation. Your continued generosity helps us reach our congregational goal of fully funding our ministry of connecting faith to everyday life.

Ministry Support through October 31, 2019

Annual Giving
Projected Contributions $1,969,580
Received YTD $1,485,727
Remaining $483,853
Projected YTD $1,628,446
Ahead/(Behind) ($142,719)

Be Notified When The Intercom Is Updated!


Sign Up for The Intercom