Paula Gooder shows how the spiritual practice of waiting is vital to our well-being. With warmth and insight, she helps us re-learn the skill of waiting, and invites us to engage with the real, flesh-and-blood people that are the subject of our Scripture readings and lessons each Advent: Abraham and Sarah, the Hebrew prophets, John the Baptist, and Mary. Each of them exemplified how to wait upon God for wisdom, joy, and the meaning of life.

"In this winsome yet provocative Advent devotional, I began to sense something I had not understood before, in any of my other Advent observances -- it is not just we who wait. God is waiting too. 'The Lord waits, that he may be gracious unto you, ' says Isaiah, one of the prophets who interests Paula Gooder most. God waits on us, for our attention, for our visits home; God waits for our vision, and our ear." -Lauren Winner, from the foreword
The Meaning Is in the Waiting is arranged for daily reading in the hectic run-up to Christmas. This thoughtful book will enable you to grow more fully into a way of being that is expectant rather than urgent, more focused on God's presence right now than on some imagined future.

Advent is about learning to love the waiting... Waiting is the primary lesson of Advent, says Paula Gooder. In the company of the biblical characters with whom the candles on the Advent wreath are traditionally associated, she helps us to discover very different kinds of waiting: * Abraham and Sarah--who waited a lifetime for the fulfillment of God's promises.* The Hebrew prophets--who waited for God's intervention, both longed for and feared.* John the Baptist--whose ministry marked the end of one era and anticipated the new.* Mary--whose life was shaped by waiting and by events beyond her control. The Meaning Is in the Waiting is arranged for daily reading in the hectic run-up to Christmas. This thoughtful book will enable you to grow more fully into a way of being that is expectant rather than urgent, more focused on God's presence right now than on some imagined future. You will venture on this journey in companionship with the God who waits with us.