Advent is the season of waiting and contemplation, when we prepare for the joyful coming of Christ at Christmas. But waiting is not always chosen or joyful, and can bring times of great spiritual testing – through illness, old age, or the struggles and frustrations of everyday life. Margaret Whipp explores the challenges of life’s waiting times and the skills they demand, drawing on vivid metaphors of wine-making, wilderness, winter and the womb, and how the paradoxical grace of patience can point to the kindness of the God who wait for us.
The Revd Canon Dr Margaret Whipp practised as a consultant oncologist for many years. Since ordination she has taught Pastoral Theology at the Anglican clergy training colleges Cranmer Hall and Ripon College Cuddeson and is now Lead Chaplain at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust. Her new book is The Grace of Waiting: Learning Patience and Embracing its Gifts (Canterbury Press 2017).
Chaired by Revd Helen O'Sullivan. Recorded 3 December 2017.