The Season of Waiting: A Royal Master’s Perspective
Companions,
Since this year’s installation of officers we have accomplished much. We have labored. Better securing our future financially by raising dues to $60/year plus per capita. We have revised our bylaws to be more modernized, more transparent, and less ambiguous. We have honored the past of our Council by changing the name to Vernon I. Bartlett Council No. 183. Now, the hope is in our beautiful rituals, and the welcoming of five new members in the months to come. It will also be in our many lessons, and with that, I would like to share a lesson with you.
The turkey has been carved, the Thanksgiving leftovers are finally gone, and we now find ourselves in that busy, often chaotic slide toward Christmas and the New Year.
It is a season defined by anticipation. We are counting down days, buying gifts, wrapping up end-of-year projects, and preparing for family gatherings. For those of you with children, it is often easy to observe their behavior of anticipation during this time.
It strikes me that this specific time of year—this season of waiting—is the perfect backdrop for the Degree of Royal Master.
Here is how the lessons of this degree help us navigate the holidays.
1. Adoniram’s Anxiety vs. Holiday Stress
In the Royal Master degree, we meet Adoniram in a state of high anxiety. He is worried about the future. He wants to know when the work will be finished and when he will receive his reward. He is focused entirely on the destination – the end result – the ‘reward’.
Right now, many of us are acting like Adoniram. We are stressed about the perfect gift, the perfect meal, or closing out our business books by December 31st. We are rushing toward the ‘reward’ of Christmas morning. The lesson the Master gives Adoniram is the one we need right now: Patience. Do not let the anxiety of the “deadline” ruin the beauty of the work you are doing today. Enjoy the preparation, not just the end result. A Bible verses comes to my mind:
Hebrews 6:10 (KJV): “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name…”
2. The “Unfinished List” of the Year
As we approach the end of the year, we naturally look back at what we accomplished—and what we didn’t. Just as the Master in the degree acknowledges that the Temple might not be finished in his lifetime, we have to acknowledge that we won’t tick every box on our 2025 “To-Do” list.
The Royal Master teaches us that leaving work unfinished is a part of the human condition. The Master doesn’t despair over the unfinished Temple; he makes provisions to preserve what is most valuable. As you look at your unfinished goals for the year, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, ask: Did I keep my integrity? Did I treat my Brethren well? If the answer is yes, the year was a success, regardless of the unchecked boxes.
3. The Empty Chair
The Royal Master is, at its heart, a preparation for loss. It deals gently but firmly with the reality of the “Broken Column.” For many of us, the holidays are bittersweet because there is an empty chair at the dinner table—a Brother, a parent, or a friend who is no longer with us.
The degree teaches us that while the workman may be removed, the work remains. The conversations, the love, and the lessons those absent friends left with us are the “treasures” buried in the vault of our hearts. The best way to honor them this Christmas is to continue the work they loved, carrying their memory forward into the New Year.
The Greatest Gift
Adoniram wanted a secret word. What he got instead was a conversation with his mentor—a moment of connection.
This December, remember that the greatest gift isn’t under the tree; it’s the time you spend with your family, your Brethren, and your friends. That is the true ‘wage’ of a Royal Master. An Entered Apprentice works for morals; a Fellowcraft works for corn, wine, and oil; but a Royal Master works for a promise. His wages are not material—they are the assurance that faithful work will be rewarded in ‘due time,’ if not in this life, then in the life to come.
Wishing you a season of patience, peace, and plenty.
Fraternally,
James A. Clark
Thrice Illustrious Master
Vernon I. Bartlett Council No. 183