PostScript

PostScript: Faithful waiting

John waits – and prepares – for change (Matthew 11.2-11).

Introduction

Waiting – whether for something good, bad or just mundane – can be a difficult process. When we’re waiting, our feet might be still but our minds wander. We begin to fear the worst, lose hope, and doubt that promises will be kept. As John waits in prison, perhaps his mind wanders too. He sends word to Jesus, wanting certainty: “Are you the one…or are we to wait for another?”

Context

Waiting for a bed – according to BBC analysis of new NHS figures, there has been a fivefold increase since 2011 in the number of hospital emergency patients who have to wait over four hours for a proper bed. Overall, around 11% of NHS emergency patients in the UK have to endure a four-hour ‘trolley wait’.

Waiting for the big day – as the grand final of The Choir: Gareth’s Best in Britain (BBC Two) drew near, the three competing teams felt the strain. ‘It’s the waiting that gets to me,’ said one member of acappella group ‘Semi-Toned’, while 17-year-old Abi of school choir ‘The Bulmershe Ensemble’ told Gareth, ‘I feel like I’m doubting myself…’

Waiting for trains – strikes and other industrial action on rail lines in the south east of the UK have been disrupting daily life for many London commuters for months, with no end yet in sight. As this week’s strike days began, one passenger told the BBC: ‘People have had enough – they’re quitting their jobs, they don’t see their families – it’s taken a real emotional and physical toll.’

Waiting for justice – 37-year-old Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker and mother of one, was detained in Iran in April and sentenced in September to five years’ imprisonment. The charges are ‘secret’ and Amnesty International says her trial was ‘unfair’. Her husband, Richard, has been campaigning ever since – including this week writing an open letter to her in women’s magazine Grazia – waiting and hoping to uncover the detail of the charges and ensure she receives a fair trial – and ultimately, freedom.

Reflection

‘According to the promise…’

Choirmaster Gareth Malone responded to schoolgirl Abi’s doubts by explaining that his constructive criticism of her group’s preparations was intended to help them progress further, ‘building on what you’ve done already’. Her work was not wasted or insufficient as she had feared. The group’s final performance, though not ultimately a winning one, was nevertheless a triumphant achievement. Their time of preparation had been worthwhile.

In Matthew 11.2-11, John’s wait, too, is finally met with a joyous outcome. He has prepared the way faithfully and now at last ‘the blind receive their sight, the lame walk…the poor have good news brought to them.’ He has not waited in vain. God is faithful, in the words of Mary’s song, ‘according to the promise he made to our ancestors’ (Luke 1.46b-55).

Of course, as we know all too well, not all prayers and hopes are met in the way we might wish or at the timings we might choose. God’s perspective is bigger than the things of this earth. John’s eternal hopes have been met in the signs of the arrival of the kingdom of heaven – but he will not escape prison and will soon meet his death at the hands of his captors. The coming of the kingdom of God opens up the possibility of restoration and change, even here and now, as the signs and wonders Jesus reveals to John show. But the wait is not yet fully over and the transformation not yet complete.

‘While you wait…’

Perhaps Nazanin and her husband will find justice. Perhaps the leaders of our health service will find a way to resolve the problems of overcrowding in A&E departments. Perhaps the 7.29 Brighton to London Victoria service will actually begin to get its passengers to work on time. But while we wait, in these and other difficult circumstances, what can we do?

Perhaps there is a hint in the letter three Church of England bishops sent to railway company Govia Thameslink Railway, union leaders, and the Department of Transport, this week. Urging them to look to their ‘moral duty’ to resolve the industrial dispute, they wrote that: ‘The weight of responsibility in this dispute was summed up by someone who wrote to us, as bishops in Sussex, and put this simple question: “Who will break the circle of blame?” Someone has to lead the way.’ (Author’s italics)

Transformation, restoration, change, has to start somewhere, with someone and something.

Perhaps as we wait for the change we need in our own circumstances, and in our world, we can look for small steps we can take to help prepare and lead the way.

Prayer

A prayer to be read in quiet, or by two voices, drawing on Isaiah 35.1-10 and James 5.7-10.

I am waiting, Lord,
for the rain in the desert.
Waiting, for the crocus to bloom.
Waiting, for my weak knees to be strengthened.
Waiting, for my fears to be calmed.

I am waiting, Lord,
for the justice you promise.
Waiting, for my eyes to see the truth.
Waiting, for my ears to hear your blessing.
Waiting, for the joy to sing your praise.

Be patient, beloved!
For the coming of the Lord is near.

I am waiting, Lord.
Amen.

Questions

The ‘Emmanu’el Apostolic Gospel Academy’ (runner-up) were challenged by one of their rivals in The Choir final to arrange and perform Kylie and Jason’s 80s hit ‘Especially for You’. Somehow they managed to bring a hint of the gospel good news to it, as they sang its lines about waiting for love to be fulfilled: ‘My love never changed/I still feel the same’. The other half of their medley, ‘Guide me, O though great redeemer’, is one of the great Christian hymns of persistence and endurance, as it calls on God to ‘lead me all my journey through’, even in ‘this barren land’. You can watch a clip of their performance on the BBC website. What other songs and stories – spiritual or secular – help you to keep hoping and holding on?

What are you waiting for? Most of us have prayers and hopes in our hearts that have not yet been answered. For healing, for reconciliation, for relationships (etc.). If you have not shared those prayers with others before, is it time now to do that with someone you trust? Sometimes sharing the wait with others can make it easier to bear.

Action

If you would like to write in support of the campaign for justice for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Amnesty International has details of her case. There are also many other cases of injustice on the site that you could consider and support if you have time.

If you are in one of the areas affected by rail strikes, could those in the congregation who do not have to commute themselves do anything to help those who are hard hit by the disruption? An offer of a pre-prepared frozen homecooked meal, help with childcare, or running the occasional errand might really help those who are losing up to two or three additional hours from their day because of travel problems.

Young people

Christmas is party season. Do you dread parties or look forward to them? How do you prepare? Do you have a ‘getting ready’ playlist? Do you share pictures of your outfits with friends on your phone as you decide what to wear? What preparations are most important to you – and how do they help the event itself go well? Or do you prefer to prepare excuses and alternatives so you can opt out and spend time doing something else you prefer instead?

Do you put the same amount of preparation effort into being ready to celebrate God, on a Sunday, at Christmas, or in daily life?

Draw up a ‘Top 10 party preparation tips’ list for a real party – and then try to come up with 10 top tips for getting ready to party with God. Just look at Isaiah 35.1-10 and Mary’s song in Luke: there’s a lot to celebrate!

Rebecca Froley was the launch web editor for ROOTS, and now works as a digital product owner and analyst for a business information company. She doesn’t like parties, is still waiting for her own Kylie & Jason moment, and has to commute by Southern Rail each day but thankfully never on the 7.29 from Brighton.