Waiting To Exhale

2 Peter 3:8–15a NIV

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

You need to call customer service. So you tap in the number and wait. Then there's a voice. "Thank you for waiting. Your call is important to us." You hear those words and you know you're going to be put on hold. Often, the robot voice will tell you how long the wait time is expected to be.

Imagine a few years back, for example, waiting in the waiting room of the doctor's office with no smartphone and only some outdated magazines to peruse. You would've had no contact with the world beyond that antiseptic, boring room until you were mercifully called back to the examination room where you would wait some more, this time without magazines!

Back then it was certainly true that waiting was hard. Imagine, for example, waiting in the waiting room of the doctor's office with no smartphone and only some outdated magazines to peruse. You would've had no contact with the world beyond that antiseptic, boring room until you were mercifully called back to the examination room where you would wait some more, this time without magazines!

No wonder they call us "patients."

Today, we have multiple entertainment options right at our fingertips to keep us occupied while we wait. But despite all that technology, waiting is still hard. We wait at airports (security lines, boarding lines); we wait in waiting rooms; we wait in traffic; we wait at the post office; we wait at the bank; we wait for a human when calling customer service. We wait ... and our patience runs thin.

Do you remember the 1995 movie Waiting to Exhale based on a screen play by Terry McMillan that deals with the varied adversities and breathtaking relationships of four African American women in dysfunctional but commonly negative encounters with African American males. In the final scene of the movie, these brave and bold women form an exhilarating moment together among themselves, ready to exhale.

Just a quick survey of what’s going on in our nation, and indeed our world, police officers not being held accountable for their executions of black males, a threatening war with North Korea, terror attacks and natural disasters brought on by unnatural causes. There must be a sense in which we are all waiting…waiting to exhale!

But back to waiting in the doctor’s waiting room, or the airport or wherever. A little planning can make that wait time productive and perhaps even fun. For example, here's a list of things someone came up with -- probably while he or she was waiting to mail a Christmas package at a local post office. These ideas could help you endure your wait time while boarding a flight to Chicago to visit grandma over the holidays:

Strike up a conversation with a stranger and learn their story.

Pull out your journal and describe everything you see in the waiting area. This trains you to be observant and exercise your writing chops.

Work through your unread emails. Nobody likes to do this, but it's a great way to burn an hour or three.

Make that appointment with your dentist or any of those other medical types you dread but need to see. It will make the waiting seem less painful by comparison.

If you can find an outlet, recharge all your device batteries. Even better, offer to share your charger with someone else. It's a great conversation starter.

Buy kitschy postcards from the newsstand and write notes to your friends and family and mail them later.

Ask whoever is next to you about their favorite band or podcast and give it a listen right then.

Cull through your phone's photo gallery and delete pictures you don't need.

Ask a waiter or flight attendant how their day is going. They will likely have some eye-opening stories to tell!

Skype your parents, grandparents or kids and catch up with them.

These are some great ideas if you have a couple of hours to kill.

But what if the wait time is going to be longer -- like, maybe, a couple of thousand years?

That's the dilemma the early church was facing after Jesus' ascension into heaven (). He had promised to return, and many in the church believed that return was imminent. As time passed, however, and as persecution of Christians intensified, the waiting became the hardest part for the church. In fact, some were beginning to question whether Jesus would return at all.

It is the same dilemma for in us 2017, living in the overlap between the beginning of the New Creation initiated by Christ when he first dwelt among us and the end of the Old Creation to be completed when Christ returns.

That's the situation the writer of 2 Peter addresses. This letter, which is a follow-up to the first letter that bears the name of Peter the apostle, reads more like a theological instruction manual than a typical epistle and for good reason (v. 1). In the first letter, the writer encourages the church, which is being pressured by external forces, while here in the second letter he addresses the problems arising from internal sources -- namely, false teachers who were skeptical about Jesus' return and whose teaching thus encouraged looser ethical and moral behavior (2:15). The letter reminds the church that Jesus will, indeed, return as promised to bring justice and abolish evil, ushering in the new creation, and that the way they conduct themselves as they wait for his return will have implications for eternity.

Peter understands that the waiting is the hardest part, but what seems like a long, slow waiting period for Christ's return is actually a gift from God. The Lord is not slow or tardy, but rather extends his own patience to allow time for people to "come to repentance" (v. 9). The "day of the Lord" is coming like a "thief" and on that day the deeds of all on earth will be "disclosed" as if cleansed by fire (v. 10).

In the interim (even if it's a long interim), Peter asks, "What sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness?" (v. 11). A new heaven and new earth are coming in which "righteousness is at home" so, what should we be doing while we wait (v. 13)?

If we look closely at the message of 2 Peter as a whole, we discover a list of at least five things we can (and must) do while waiting for the new Advent:

First, remember the promise of the Christ’s first coming. Peter opens the letter by reminding his readers of the faith that they received "through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (1:1). That's a powerful witness to the Incarnation. Jesus is both God and Savior. Peter and the other disciples were eyewitnesses to the Incarnation of God in Christ, remembering the voice of God during the transfiguration proclaiming, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" (1:17). As we think about the New Creation, it's a chance for us to remember again that God has come to us in person in Christ and, in doing so, God has confirmed the truthfulness of his promises toward us. The Lord for whom we wait is always true to his word!

Second, grow in the image of Christ. When Jesus returns, Peter urges his readers to "be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish" (v. 14). In fact, this was the way we were meant to be from the beginning when we were created in the image of God (). We became subject to "corruption" because of human sin, but because of what Christ has done in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, we can once again become "participants of the divine nature" (1:4-5). Peter thus urges us to make every effort to support our faith in Christ through acting out the virtues of goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love (1:5-7). Focusing on these things will keep us from being "ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:8). This is what Peter means by living lives of "holiness and godliness" -- lives that look more and more like Jesus (v. 11).

Third, READ scripture like a pro, RECEIVE it like a baby. Peter and the other disciples had seen all the promises of the Scriptures confirmed in Jesus. He thus encourages his readers to dig deep into the Scriptures and be attentive to them "as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (1:19). When we read the Scriptures, we recognize that the message about Jesus wasn't a human invention but came through "men and women moved by the Holy Spirit [who] spoke from God" (1:20-21). Daily engagement with the Scriptures, particularly when read in community with the church, keeps us from sliding into interpretations that suit ourselves and our desires and guards against false prophets and their "destructive opinions" (2:1). In a world where everyone is ready to overload their phones with information and opinions, Scripture calls us back to the truth of God revealed by those inspired by the Holy Spirit. We must always be prepared to compare the words of others to the Word of God. As Peter puts it, "You should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles" (3:2). When we engage the Scriptures daily, we galvanize our memory of God's Word and more consistently live it out each day. However, while we must search and study the scriptures intelligently and diligently, we must hunger for it and allow it to feed us as says: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (, NIV)

Third, dig deep into the Scriptures. Peter and the other disciples had seen all the promises of the Scriptures confirmed in Jesus. He thus encourages his readers to dig deep into the Scriptures and be attentive to them "as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts" (1:19). When we read the Scriptures, we recognize that the message about Jesus wasn't a human invention but came through "men and women moved by the Holy Spirit [who] spoke from God" (1:20-21). Daily engagement with the Scriptures, particularly when read in community with the church, keeps us from sliding into interpretations that suit ourselves and our desires and guards against false prophets and their "destructive opinions" (2:1). In a world where everyone is ready to overload their phones with information and opinions, Scripture calls us back to the truth of God revealed by those inspired by the Holy Spirit.

We must always be prepared to compare the words of others to the Word of God. As Peter puts it, "You should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles" (3:2). When we engage the Scriptures daily, we galvanize our memory of God's Word and more consistently live it out each day.

Fourth, pay attention to what it is that masters you. In 2:19, Peter criticizes those false teachers for promising freedom while being "slaves of corruption" and then he makes a poignant statement: "People are slaves to whatever masters them." As we move through the Advent season, that's a great question to ponder: What is it that masters us? To what have we become a slave? Is it money, sex, power or something else? As Bob Dylan once sang, "It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody." Who are you serving?

Fifth, use your time wisely. Peter urges his readers to "regard the patience of the Lord as salvation" (v. 15). In this interim period as we await the return of Jesus, we have the opportunity to use the time God has given us to share our faith with others. Peter, like the apostle Paul, spent every waking minute looking to share the good news about Jesus with anyone he met. They did it with a sense of urgency in anticipation of Christ's coming. According to Peter, Paul's writings may have been hard to understand and were vulnerable to being twisted by the ignorant and the insidious, but they were nonetheless powerful because they were designed to impact others with the gospel (vv. 15-16). Disciples of Jesus recognize that God has given us time to spread the word about Jesus, and we need to use that time wisely. Those conversations we might have with people in the waiting room or on the plane are opportunities to have spiritual conversations as the Spirit leads. As Peter says in his first letter, "Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting of the hope that is in you" ()

Upgrading

At first, cell phones were only to be used for a limited amount of minutes, and they could only be used in certain places. As jobs and people became more mobile, phone companies offered an upgrade. Now you have unlimited minutes, and you can talk to people in mountains, valleys, and below sea level. As people needed more ways to communicate, phone companies offered an upgrade. Now you can use your phone for email, text messaging, and online banking. As people began traveling more, they would find themselves waiting in places for long periods of time. Once again, phone companies offered an upgrade. Now you can use your phone to download music, watch TV, take pictures, and even as a Palm Pilot and laptop. It is still a phone, just upgraded. There is no telling what else they will come up with.

When we first come to Christ, we are excited about worship but we need to learn more about God and the church, so God gives us an upgrade. We have Bible Study and Sunday school. We start having families and children – and they need to have something to do in church, so God gives us an upgrade. We get nurseries, scouting, and camps. Then we want to learn more, so God gives us an upgrade. We get community based ministries and continuing education programs for adults. We are still worshipers; we have just been upgraded to reach more people for God. "Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him ()." The next upgrade is coming.

Waiting To Exhale

Antithesis (Introduction)

Move 2 (Thesis)

Relevant Question

Synthesis

Celebration