December 2nd, 2025

Hi Friends,

“The practice of hope” and the purchase of new furniture — a perfect paradigm as we move through the first week of Advent.

Sunday, Pastor Reagan did a great job of bringing the theme of hope to bear as he opened up Micah 4 to us. In passing, he used a phrase which captured my attention: “the practice of hope.” “How do I practice hope?” I asked myself. And that got me thinking about furniture.

The day before, Sharon and I placed an order for some new furniture for our new living room (yes, we’ve taken almost two years to decide but, honestly, it hasn’t been much of a priority). Sharon had done some pretty meticulous searching and found some pieces that we both liked. There was only one problem — the pieces we want are not available in a showroom in Calgary. Worse yet, the colour we want is not available for viewing in Calgary, not even a colour swatch. The manager of the Calgary store called the manager of the Quebec store and had her send a photo of the piece we like. “It’s dark grey with undertones of blue,” they told us. How grey? How blue? Those were our questions.But, having wandered through quite a few furniture wastelands, often trailed by hovering sales people, and recognizing both the character of our contact and a return policy that worked, we took the plunge and placed the order. Now we wait — and we hope. And that is what got me thinking about hope and Advent.

We can “wait” in one of two ways: patiently; impatiently. Neither approach speeds anything up but both affect the quality and “feel” of the waiting period. Sharon and I can wait patiently because we are sure of some things. The colour seems to be a match for our decor. The return policy is a good one. Even if the furniture doesn’t work with our plans, we can return it. Though the delivery date is uncertain, we have been given a delivery window with which we can live.

Impatient waiting is filled with doubt. It spurs us to attempt to manipulate the desired outcome or its timing. We vacillate and wear ourselves out, seldom making an actual change in the timing of that for which we hope or the circumstances in which we hope.

So, what are you waiting for this year? How are you waiting for it? Is it worth waiting for?  How sure is your hope? The more assured your hope, the greater your patience and anticipation. Think about this during the first week of Advent.

Blessings!

Doug