Often our society wants everything now, with no tolerance for waiting. Some patients have come to expect that they should be seen the same day, even for a problem that is clearly non-urgent to both them and their doctor. Online companies strive to provide the fastest possible delivery service, with some now offering same day deliveries in certain major UK cities for those willing to pay for them.

It can often be the same with major festivals. We have been putting together this edition of Nucleus during Advent, when Christians traditionally focus on awaiting and preparing for Christmas celebrations. Yet for much of society, Christmas seems to be celebrated throughout Advent. Christmas music is everywhere, parties are frequent, and any sense of preparation is lost.

Hundreds of years separate Isaiah's 'prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God' (Isaiah 40:3) from the very first Christmas. God's promises often have a waiting period before fulfilment. The exiles in Babylon were clearly promised a return to Jerusalem, but there would be a seventy-year delay before it happened (Jeremiah 29:10).

Yet times of waiting are there for a purpose. Having remembered Jesus' first coming over Christmas, we also are reminded to wait for his second coming. We do not know the time and date (1 Thessalonians 5:1–2). But we can be sure it will happen. Much as we might hope it will be very soon, more people are believing and trusting in Jesus during this period of waiting.

So of course we should look forward; to the day when we ultimately use as doctors the skills we've learnt at medical school; to big occasions with friends and family; and ultimately to that final day when Jesus comes again. But our wait for that day is for a purpose. We hope that this edition of Nucleus will be one of many tools that help you and those around you who don't know Jesus yet to be prepared for that day, ready to meet Jesus when he comes in glory.