A friend I hadn’t seen for some time phoned and said she’d be stopping by. I quickly straightened the house. I tried to relax in a chair but soon was peering out the window, dusting the bookshelf, watering the plants, standing on the porch, stretching to look down the street, trying to read the newspaper and, finally, walking to the end of the driveway to see if I could spot her car.
Perhaps this is how Christians should anticipate the coming of the kingdom of God. We should wait hopefully, in the promise of the future. We should wait, actively, by serving, teaching and working as disciples of Christ. And we should wait confidently, trusting in God’s promises.
Today we remember Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, who died in 461. This message is adapted from a stewardship devotion written by Jean Morehouse for Women of the ELCA in 2000.