What Are You Waiting For?
The pain and hope of Advent
My ten-year-old loves baguettes.
When we were in France last year, we bought him a baguette every 2-3 days. I would purchase other types of bread that I deemed more enjoyable for the rest of us, like tangy levain or crusty miche, but our 10-year-old couldn’t get enough of this French staple. I get it. A good baguette is nutty, a little creamy, soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Some of us are trying to eat more whole grains, but my ten-year-old does not have time for that kind of adult nonsense. Give him a baguette, and the world is put right.
This weekend, he and I set out to make baguettes at home together. I found a recipe that was simple enough. Flour-water-yeast-salt. Very little in the kitchen lexicon takes such simple ingredients and transforms them into something altogether different. Bread is magic.
We made the dough. We stretched it over time to develop the gluten. We let it rise for a while, shaped it for baking, and let it rise again. After 35 minutes in the over - voilà - baguettes made from scratch at home, just like from our favorite boulangerie.
Admittedly, these were not as delicious or complexly flavored as an artisan baguette, but still, I was impressed with their texture and flavor. They came out better than I expected.
Bread is truly a cultural equalizer. It is the dietary staple of millions of people every day. Did you know that in France, every person must have access to freshly baked bread every day? It’s French law. They even install bread vending machines in far-flung villages that are stocked with freshly baked bread from an area boulangerie multiple times a day. Fresh bread; a human right. Isn’t that something?
I think part of the magic of bread making is that you really don’t do too much. Real bread takes time to make. It takes time to develop. There’s a lot of waiting for the dough to develop, to change, to transform into something entirely different than what you started with from the beginning. Bread is magic like that.
If you want to make bread, you must learn to wait. You must wait for the dough to hydrate. You then wait for the dough to rise. You wait for the dough to bake. Finally, you wait for the bread to cool. Bread baking is an exercise in learning how to wait.
Some of us are better at waiting than others. I’m not too good at waiting. I get antsy and anxious. I feel the need JUST TO GET SOMETHING DONE while I wait. This is what I do while making bread. I do OTHER things during all of these steps of waiting.
But sometimes, waiting is just waiting. There’s nothing else to do. You sit. You despair. You hope. You wonder. You get lost in your thoughts. You befriend the quiet because it will drive you mad if you don't.
We’re all waiting for something. What are you waiting for?
Maybe you’re waiting for a call from your doctor.
Maybe you’re waiting for someone to come to their senses.
Maybe you’re waiting for God’s provision.
Maybe you’re waiting for a good day.
Maybe you’re waiting for that promotion at work.
Maybe you’re waiting for retirement.
Maybe you’re waiting for the right chance to have that conversation.
Maybe you’re waiting for things to finally work out.
Maybe you’re waiting for a chance to show them what you can do.
Maybe you’re waiting for someone to say, “I love you.”
Maybe you’re waiting for your next vacation.
Maybe you’re waiting to say goodbye.
Maybe you’re waiting for your next big break.
I don’t know what you are waiting for, but I know you are probably waiting for something.
This is the time of year when Christians get reacquainted with our longing for God to break in and do something new. We’ve been waiting for God to act, and this season - we call it Advent - acknowledges that God’s action is imminent, but not yet. It’s the longing that hurts like hell. It’s the waiting that will nearly do us in.
The Church gets ready to receive the coming of Jesus once again during this season. Technically, Advent doesn’t begin until next Sunday. But the Church learned long ago that it takes us many weeks to get ready for the coming of Christ. As Theologian and Episcopal priest Fleming Rutledge said recently, “Advent isn’t for sissies.” Indeed, Mrs. Rutledge.
What are you doing to get ready while you wait?
Sometimes Jesus comes, and we’re not paying attention. Sometimes we’re so distracted by the pain of waiting that we forget to keep in step with a God who remains with us and wants to be with us. That’s the whole point of the Jesus story from the beginning, right? That God would go to great lengths to be with God’s creation. You and me.
Isn’t that remarkable? Kind of silly, in a way. Unbelievable, even. But that is our story. No one else holds this story. It has been given to the Church and the people of God to hold and to tell and to retell until it seeps into our bones and enlivens our imagination so that we might, one day, just maybe begin to believe that it is true.
As Andrew Peterson says, “Hold on to the promise/the stories are true/Jesus makes all things new.”
I hope so. I long to be remade by God, full of love, grace, and truth. And Advent is when we become aware of our waiting once again. Or, perhaps, we’re reminded that God sees the pain we endure while we wait. God will meet us in that pain and ultimately offer God’s presence to us in the middle of it all.
Isn’t that something?
GoFundMe Update
As of today, 32 people have given $5,585! Beyond incredible! We're so grateful for your support, encouraging words, messages and notes of excitement for our family, and prayerful and supportive presence in our lives. Thank you. Thank you.
Goal #1 - by the end of Tuesday, November 29th (Giving Tuesday!), we’re praying and asking for a total of 60 gifts given to our GoFundMe. 32 people have given to our GoFundMe as of today! Would you be willing to give toward our fundraising goal this week to help us reach that number of 60 unique gifts? We are looking for 28 more people to give by the end of next Tuesday, November 29th (Giving Tuesday). Would you consider being 1 of these 28?
Goal #2 - we’re sincerely grateful for ANY amount you can give. Anything is received with gratitude and humility. Please know this.
We also have some funding deadlines that we’d like to share with you. Here’s what we hope to cultivate in the coming days with our GoFundMe efforts.
By December 15th, we’re asking and praying for the following:
10 people who will give $500 (Update: now it’s 7)
5 people who will give $1,000 (Update: now it’s 3)
4 people who will give $2,500
2 people who will give $5,000
1 person who will give $10,000
Why December 15th? That is pretty close to the day we need to decide if we have enough money raised to head to the UK or if we need to change course. Our overall fundraising goal is $45,000, but our short-term goal is to have AT LEAST $25,000 raised by December 15th. This will enable us to pay our expenses from January to March 2023. We can confidently head to the UK (we fly from DTW on January 4th) and continue fundraising from there for the second half of our stay (April - July).
Thank you for prayerfully considering a donation to our Oxford Adventure. I know these are BIG, AUDACIOUS goals. We’re asking you to partner with us in an effort we’ve worked toward for many months.
Also, if you’re reading this, it would be a HUGE help if you would share our GoFundMe with friends via social media. Saying a few words about why you support us would be wonderful too. There is a “share” button on our GoFundMe page. Simply click on that and follow the instructions.
What I’m Reading - Michael Gerson, a long-time conservative columnist at the Washington Post and a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, died this week. He was 58 years old. Cancer was the cause of death. I only discovered Gerson in the past couple of years, but his op-ed title “Trump should fill Christians with rage: how come he doesn’t” reminded me of Bill McKibben’s classic article “The Christian Paradox.” Both writers show a kind of bafflement with what passes as Christianity in America within public (often political) discourse. Spoiler: it looks nothing like historic, orthodox Christianity. In honor of Gerson’s life, WaPo re-published a beautiful essay he wrote in 2013, where he reflects on taking his oldest son to college. It caused me to reflect on the fleeting years I have at home with my own children, for which I am grateful. Thank you, Michael Gerson, for everything you gave us in this life. Rest in peace. If you don’t know Gerson at all, this tribute from PBS Newshour is well worth your time.
What I’m Making - My favorite Thanksgiving dish is Cornbread Dressing (not stuffing - dressing). It’s this ultra-savory side dish filled with caramelized vegetables, rich turkey stock, butter, and sausage. The cornbread becomes this creamy, almost bread pudding-like texture, and the entire thing is fantastic smothered with turkey gravy, next to some mashed potatoes and roast turkey on Thanksgiving day. The best Thanksgiving food out there.
What I’m Watching - I’ve been a fan of Chef’s Table, made by Netflix, for years. The episode from Volume 6 with Dario Cecchini is a favorite and inspired me to drive 2 hours (one way) from our home base while in Tuscany last year to have lunch at one of his restaurants. This new Chef’s Table iteration is all about pizza and features some beautiful stories told through a dramatic lens. The episode featuring Chris Bianco is magic, as is the one featuring Ann Kim. The entire series is worth your time, especially if you are into food and storytelling.
I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, however you are celebrating.
With so much gratitude for you all,
David (and Wendy, Josiah, & Jonah) Rice
