Third Advent

Matthew 11: 2 – 3

When John got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

My husband and I sat across the desk from the surgeon who was to repair the hole in our 4-month-old daughter’s heart. The doctor explained in simple, unadorned speech the two-patch procedure his team would use. It was fairly new, he said, but he and his partner had performed it numerous times and had written the book on surgical techniques for this particular heart defect.

When he had finished his explanation, he asked if we had any questions. We had just one. “Doc, please tell us truthfully, are you the best person to perform this surgery?” He replied, “In the Melbourne area, yes”. We continued, “In Australia?” He responded, “One of a few”. “In the world?” “One of a handful”.

Like John the Baptist’s question to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?” our every question implied implicit trust in the person responding. My husband and I were satisfied. Hannah’s surgery was scheduled for two weeks later.

We had waited a long time for this day to come. We knew even before Hannah was born that she would require heart surgery. We tried to savour every moment we had with her those first few months. Then, as they wheeled her away, we waited in joyful hope, knowing that she was in good hands – the surgeon’s and God’s.

She celebrates her tenth birthday next week.