Delayed

I love the Oregon Ducks. This means I have no choice but to bear deep dislike for their rivals at the University of Washington. I love my children more. Those children are now both in their high school marching band which was invited to be a part of "Husky Band Day" last Saturday. This being the only year both of our kids are in the band, my wife and I donned our Oregon gear and went to a UW Husky game for the express purpose of watching the halftime show.Five minutes into the first quarter it happened. Notices flashed on the screen and the exodus began. There was a rare lightning storm coming to Seattle. Over the next couple of hours there were over a thousand strikes. For those two hours, the stands were empty and the concourse was filled.All we were told was the game would resume thirty minutes after the last strike in the area. Five minutes would pass...hope would blossom...then flash and rumble. Early on, the masses would ooh and ahh over the brilliant flashes. After the first full hour, the magnificence of the heavens were met with groans. The unknown delay was painful.I have often wondered what the disciples felt in the days between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Jesus had said he would die and rise again, but would he? The stadium announcer said the game would start again, but would it? In the waiting for the game to restart so we could get to halftime, I wonder if I tasted a fraction of what those men and women experienced.In John 20:19 we read, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews..." They were waiting. They had heard from Mary that Jesus had indeed risen, but they hadn't seen him. Did they dare hope?Waiting is never easy. When my son was in the NICU right after birth, we waited. Sitting with a friend laying in a hospital bed knowing they won't get back up, waiting. Anticipation waiting for the good, anxiety waiting for the bad. So much of our lives are spent waiting for something.What do we do in the waiting? My wife answered that question as we stood around the concourse. Wearing the green and yellow of Oregon in the midst of "enemy" territory, she made friends. She connected with visiting fans wearing the colors of California. She sat on the ground near die hard Washington fans confused by her clothing choices. Until finally the game started again.Are you waiting today? Make a friend. Love your neighbor. Try to understand someone who thinks differently than you. All the while remembering the game will start again. The waiting isn't forever. Even as the disciples were waiting and afraid, we read the last words in the verse, "Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."