Advent, Day 1: Wait

LOOK: Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise by Uemura Shōen

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Uemura Shōen, the pseudonym of Uemura Tsune (1875–1949), was a Japanese artist active in the first half of the twentieth century, known primarily for her bijin-ga paintings of beautiful women in the nihonga style. A mold-breaking artist of exceptional skill, “she won international awards and accolades, defied social norms as a single mother of two, and dived into the world of professional painting at a time when women weren’t welcome.” In 1948 she became the first woman to be awarded Japan’s prestigious Order of Culture.

Uemura painted Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise during World War II, showing a young woman leaning against a bridge railing on a foggy evening, her chin resting on her folded hands and her face looking ahead wistfully. Though the title tells us she’s waiting for the moon to rise, perhaps she’s also waiting for the war to end, for peace to be restored.

LISTEN: “Wait for the Lord” by Jacques Berthier of the Taizé Community, on Alleluia (1988)

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

The text of this simple chant comes mainly from Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” The chant was written as a responsorial refrain to the reading of another psalm, Psalm 37. As the hymnal Lift Up Your Hearts (2013) instructs congregations: sing the Taizé refrain; read Psalm 37:1–5, sing; read Psalm 37:6–9, sing; read Psalm 37:10–11, 39–40, sing. Like this:

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

Do not fret because of the wicked;
    do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
    and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
    so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
    trust in him, and he will act.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

He will make your vindication shine like the light,
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
    and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
    he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The LORD helps them and rescues them;
    he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

Psalm 37 encourages trust and patience in God, who will one day vindicate the righteous and put wickedness to bed.