Waiting

The wait's begun again,
the long wait for the angel
for that rare, random descent.
Black Rook in Rainy Weather, Sylvia Plath

Reading Luke 1: 26-56

Glen Noble

Waiting is not terribly attractive to most of us.  There is anticipation and savour.  'The Holy Spirit will come on you...At that time Mary got ready'. (Luke 1: 35, 39)  There is also boredom, impatience and doubt.  Will I be overlooked?

There's no biblical record of further surprising angelic visitations to Mary.  I wonder if the temptation was to live for it, will it, especially after her Son departed. It begs the question, How do I live after a momentous experience?  Maybe she took it for what it was - a gift, and an invitation to follow a heart that has just started to beat that much faster.

Like all Israel Mary will have waited for the Messiah.  They had waited a long time, fervently at times, spasmodically at others.  Can you name what you are waiting for?  Are you ready for some descent, even if it tarries and feels as if it is rare and random?