Our culture is a bit obsessed with all things “instant” – instant foods, instant access, instant results, instant fulfillment.  “Instagram” and “Instacart” are more than apps on our phone; their popularity broadcasts our strong desire to avoid waiting.  Yet in spite of our uneasy relationship with it, waiting is an unavoidable part of the human experience.  It’s something that unites the human community around the globe.  A world well-acquainted with conflict waits for the arrival of peace that will endure. 

The season of Advent invites us to go against the grain of all things instant.  Advent is a season of daily waiting for the arrival of Christmas Eve.  It’s a season of remembering how God’s people waited many long years for the fulfillment of God’s saving promises.  And it’s a season in which our eyes are directed to the future that Jesus is bringing, on its way but not yet fully here.  What happens when Advent expectation meets “insta-culture?”  Something so deeply meaningful and life-transforming that it’s worth waiting for!