Following the Star 
Pause
God has given each of us seasons of waiting and days of anticipation.
Despite the incessant rush of our lives and the world around us, there are still moments when things come to a halt, when all that we can do is done and we must wait. God invites us to wait faithfully, anticipating joyfully what is to come.
Take a moment now to wait faithfully with God.
Listen
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7-8
Think
“Be patient.” How many times have you heard someone say that? “Hold up. Just wait a minute.” Waiting is hard, though, especially when what you are waiting for is really important. James compares waiting for the kingdom to waiting for crops. The farmer does everything he can to get ready: tilling, planting, fertilizing, and weeding. Then the farmer must wait because no matter how hard she might try, she can’t make it rain.
Anticipating the kingdom is like that. We can do everything in our power to live it out here and now. We can follow Jesus’ lead by striving to bring healing, justice, and hope to everyone around us, but we can’t make the kingdom come on our own. Meanwhile, we must work patiently, because we are confident that the rains will come.
Phillip Fackler
Pray
Patient God, it is hard to live in a world that falls so far short of the wholeness you desire for me and all your creatures. Strengthen me to work for your kingdom with patience, perseverance, and hope. Amen.
Go
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever.
Psalm 146:5-6
