Why Jesus is Worth the Wait

Everyone is waiting for something.

Some of us are waiting for Christmas packages to arrive, final exams to be finished, or family to gather. Those are the simpler waits.

Others are waiting for heavier things. A diagnosis. The return of a prodigal. A fresh start after a long season of disappointment.

Waiting is part of life. But it is rarely easy.

Advent is the season leading up to Christmas. It reminds us that the world once waited for Jesus to come, and that we are still waiting for him to make all things right. Advent teaches us how to wait with hope.

A Different Kind of Christmas Story

The Gospels are biographies of Jesus, and each tells the Christmas story from a different angle.

Matthew begins with a genealogy because his audience is primarily Jewish. Mark skips the birth story altogether and starts with Jesus as an adult. Luke, the historian and physician, gives us shepherds, angels, and a manger.

John does something entirely different.

He does not begin with a story. He begins with a statement about identity. John wants you to see who Jesus really is before you decide what you believe about him.

That is why his Gospel opens this way:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

This echoes the opening line of Genesis. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

John’s point is clear. Jesus did not start in Bethlehem. He has always existed. He is eternal, uncreated, and unchanging.

Why Call Jesus the Word?

John gives Jesus a surprising title: the Word.

Words reveal what is hidden. They take invisible thoughts and make them visible. Jesus is how the invisible God has made himself known.

For Greek readers, the word logos referred to reason, order, and meaning. It was the principle that made sense of life. For Jewish readers, the Word was how God created the world. In Genesis, God speaks and creation comes to life.

John says both groups were onto something. But the Word is not a concept or a system. The Word is a person.

And that person was not only present in the beginning. He was with God, face to face. Before anything existed, God lived in perfect fellowship as Father, Son, and Spirit.

That means relationship did not begin with us. It began with God.

When God Feels Distant

Some of you feel distant from God right now. It is like a cloudy day. You cannot see the sun, so it feels like it is gone.

But the sun has not moved. The clouds are simply in the way.

When you feel distant from God, remember this. He has not moved. He is not cold, abstract, or detached. He is personal and close.

John makes this unmistakably clear when he writes that the Word was with God and was God. Jesus is not a god among many. He is the God.

The baby in the manger is not just a symbol of love. He is love. When you talk to Jesus, you are not speaking to God’s assistant. You are speaking to God himself.

The Creative Word

John continues:

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

Everything that exists was created through him. Every star, every mountain, every molecule.

Here is the personal part. If Jesus can speak creation into existence, he can speak hope into your situation. If he can make something out of nothing, he can make something new in you.

Learning to Wait Well

If you are still exploring faith, you may not be sure what you believe. But what if this story is true? What if the reason waiting feels so heavy is because your soul was made to wait for Jesus?

A simple prayer might be a good place to start. “God, if you are real, show me who you are.”

If you are new to following Jesus, let Advent become your training ground for trust. When impatience rises, resist the urge to fill the silence. Instead, pray, “Lord, I am waiting, but I am waiting with you.”

If you have followed Jesus for years, let this season rekindle your wonder. Do not let familiarity steal your amazement.

And as a church, let us continue to show the world that Jesus is worth the wait.

Because he always has been. And he always will be.