1. Advent Series: A Spirituality of Waiting
Luke 1:5-19

2. "Waiting patiently is the foundation of the spiritual life."
- Simone Weil

3. What does God want to teach us in our
times of waiting?

4. 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea(I) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;(J) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.(K)

6. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

7. Zechariah - “Whom the Lord remembers”

8. Waiting reminds us that we are
not in control

9. Human beings do not lose control of their lives
Human beings do not lose control of their lives. What we lose is the illusion that we were ever in control of our lives in the first place.
– Barbara Brown Taylor

10. - Life is Hard
You Are Not Important
Your Life Is Not About You
- You Are Not in Control
- You Are Going to Die

11. A faithful response to waiting is prayer

12. Prayer is just not about staying connected with God because of what God will give us. Prayer is about staying with God even when we don’t get what we want.

13. God's love will exceed anything we might imagine

14. John - God is gracious