A Time For Waiting

Theologically speaking . . .
The entire Church waits now as they have for weeks. Little ones wait naively for the human celebrations that many will have on March 31. Some are waiting for a new human leader to emerge in Rome during this time of Lent. Millions are waiting for a glorious experience, sitting on the cusp of Passion Week, a week full of services, tragedy and joy. The entire world, if not all of creation, waits, unconsciously, unknowingly, for hope. We are in a time of waiting, awaiting a time of redemption, a redemption we cannot initiate.

Let us ponder what drives God toward this redemption only God can offer, while we wait together lacking any power to save ourselves. Compassion drives God to offer redemption. Ancients in faith discovered that the characteristic of mercy drove God’s actions of redemption. Later, some saw this mercy as compassion, a major characteristic of the promised Messiah. It is this compassion which drives the passion which we will celebrate one week from now.

A congregation is the space where faith is practiced, rather than one in which the Christian faith is merely discussed. Clearly the Christian congregation may not become the only place that those who follow Christ express their faith. Wherever those who follow Christ go, they should express their faith in both word and deed.

Congregations should not only wait patiently during this time of Lent. They have the opportunity to practice the faith in the Messiah, demonstrating compassion, even mercy. Doing so such congregations will be driven to passion, participating in the redemption which all the world awaits.

How can academic communities wait patiently during this time of Lent? Certainly, these are not congregations, but their students and faculty take part in congregations gathering across diverse areas. An academic institution could become a catalyst for compassion among those who participate in a learning community as well as among those who are touched fully by its life. While waiting patiently during Lent, let us practice the compassion which leads to our passion.
Dr. Robert Cochran