"Tired of Waiting" by Sanford Beckett
“For a child has been born for us, a son is given to us: authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
How are you with waiting? For our grandchildren, waiting for Christmas so that they can open their presents is difficult. Think about the long wait between the time Isaiah gave this prophecy and the birth of Jesus—about seven hundred years!
A few years ago, we visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Crowds of people were inside. We were surprised by the difficulty of entering “the cave.” At least two hundred people were going down about fifteen rows of steps in a semicircle. Some of the steps were broken. There were no handrails. It was dark. There was no social distancing. Diane and I held onto each other to try to keep from falling. Finally, we were on the lower level to pass one-by-one through the door. And there it was, the spot where tradition says Jesus was born. We looked, I took my photograph, and we moved on.
Our guide had us wait in a dead-end portion of the tunnel for the rest of our tour members. When we were all there, the guide said, “Sing the song about that night.” I asked, “You mean ‘O Holy Night?’” She replied, “No, the other one.” I asked, “Silent Night?” She replied, “Yes, that one.”
Diane and I began singing, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm all is bright. . . .” Others joined in. The sound began echoing off of the concrete and stone walls. Other visitors joined in with our singing. Others stopped in reverence. I looked at Diane—we both had tears running down our faces.
2020 has been a long and difficult year for many. We are tired of waiting. Christmas is here. Claim today. His name is “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!”
Blog picture taken by Sanford Beckett.