What does it mean to wait faithfully when our expectations go unmet? In this Advent sermon, Rev. Dorothy Budd reflects on the tension between expectation, waiting, and patience during the third week of Advent.

Drawing from the Gospel account of John the Baptist’s question from prison and the Letter of James, this sermon explores the kind of holy patience Scripture calls us to practice. John waits in doubt as his expectations of the Messiah collide with the reality of Jesus’ ministry. The early Christians wait for Christ’s return longer than they anticipated. And we, too, wait—often impatiently—for things to fall into place.

Using the image of a farmer waiting for seeds to grow, Rev. Budd reminds us that God is at work even when we cannot see it. Growth happens in hidden ways, on God’s timeline rather than our own. The pink candle of Advent calls us to rejoice—not because waiting is easy, but because the Lord is near.

This sermon invites us to plant what God has given us, stand firm, and trust that God is growing something good within us as we wait.