Hello,
We, Lutherans,
try to hold back the rush to Christmas and engage ourselves in patient waiting
during the 4 weeks before Christmas, Advent.
It is hard for me. Hard because I
am surrounded by and shaped by an impatient culture. I find myself groaning when my computer doesn’t
immediately answer my request. I find
myself frustrated by packages that come by “snail mail” when all my other mail
snaps to my arrival with e-mail. I find
myself worrying about not hearing from someone during a trip in bad weather,
expecting them to call on the road rather than when they arrive home. Waiting and impatience have always been
tandem riders, but in the world where we live where waiting is losing a battle
to instant gratification, I find it getting ever harder to wait.
Which brings me
to my current object of delayed gratification and waiting: a new puppy that we
are adding to our household.
Those of you who
have been long-time Bungee Cord readers know that I have a dog, Duncan. He is a Gordon Setter, and he and I have been
scampering through life as buddies for the last 9 years. He’s still got a lot of vigor in him, but his
age is beginning to make itself known.
His jowls are becoming a bit salt and pepper. He grows weary of playing keep away outside
sooner than he used to. Laying around
has become his favorite hobby. He’s
getting old…older.
A friend of ours
told us that the thing to do when your dog is getting older is to get a puppy…get
a puppy to keep the old dog younger and to have the old dog teach the puppy the
rules of the road. Well, we took the
advice. I got on the internet and
started hunting Gordon Setter puppies in Pennsylvania. I found several sites and sent them e-mails
to see if they had any puppies to place.
In less than 5 minutes (didn’t have to wait!), I got a response from a
breeder in Pittsburgh who said that his dog had just had a litter of puppies
that would be ready by Christmas….the wrinkle being that the litter was in
Lexington, Kentucky with his dog. Kate
and I thought it over. A long-time breeder
(more than 40 litters), healthy dog parents, not too far away……I called him,
and by evenings end, we became soon to be “parents” of a Gordon Setter puppy.
But we had to
wait…and we are still waiting. He was
born October 20th, and so the soonest we could get him would be 8
weeks, around December 20th.
Our initial plan was to pick him up after the Christmas rush, but when
my kids, who were coming home for Christmas, said, “You mean we won’t be able
to see the puppy?”, we moved things up.
So, next Tuesday, the 20th, Kate, I, and Duncan are going
down to Lexington to pick the puppy up.
Now that the 20th
is nearing, our waiting time is coming.. to an end, and even though the waiting
has been paired with impatience and anxiousness, the waiting has been a good
thing. Because we have had some waiting
time we have been able to get our house ready for a gnawing puppy. We have also had time to figure out where his
kennel is going to be and make some plans for training him. And…we have had time to figure out what we
are going to name him. (His name: McMahon….a Scottish name for a Scottish
breed, and the namesake of a famous Gordon Setter owner, Ed McMahon.) The waiting time has also allowed us to see
what a wonderful dog Duncan has been…he doesn’t run off, he doesn’t mess in the
house, he doesn’t demand constant attention….remind me again, why are we
getting a puppy!? The waiting time has
allowed us to be ready for McMahon….and that will be a good thing.
Waiting is
hard. But waiting is worth it…..especially
when the waiting is for Christmas. The
waiting of Advent gives us time to clear the clutter of the past year out of
our lives so that Jesus can have a new fresh start in making his home in our
lives. The waiting of Advent gives us
time to take hold of the future, rather than let it take hold of us, and decide
where in our lives Christ will be. The
waiting of Advent gives us time to see the blessings that have been ours over
the year, and ponder the adventure of the year ahead. The waiting of Advent gives us time to be
ready…ready for Jesus…and that will be a good thing!
Have a great day.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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