Participating: The Art of Waiting

In this installment of the "Participating" series, Pastor Scott Engebretson tackles our cultural aversion to waiting. Drawing from Jason Farman's Delayed Response, Scott notes that in our world of instant gratification, we often view waiting as "dead time." However, looking at the transition from the suffering of Holy Week to the hope of the Resurrection, he argues that waiting is actually a sacred space where God works. Exploring Romans 8:22–27, Scott discusses how the Holy Spirit participates in our lives by interceding for us with "wordless groans" when we are at our weakest. He invites the community to stop avoiding the "weight" of their vulnerabilities and instead allow Jesus—the Lamb who still carries his scars—to meet them in their waiting and redeem their pain. For more information about the church, please visit northwestvineyard.org.