I’m using a liquid bavarian lager yeast that appears to have died. It’s in a smackpack and has been sitting out for a couple of hours in the recommended temp, but the pack’s not swelling. I though it was, so I started brewing…now it seems I’m stuck with 5 gallons of wort. Can the wort wait a day or two in the primary until I can get some new yeast?
Your wisdom is much appreciated…
If your sanitation is good the wort would probably be fine for a day or two, but that still isn’t nearly enough time to make your starter. 
In all seriousness, I don’t think I would pitch less than 2-3 packs into a lager. You just won’t get a healthy fermentation.
Well, not trying to scold you, but you got the cart in front of the horse! The yeast is just as important as the grain, the hops, and the water and yet you are not planning for a healthy fermentation. For any ale you really need a starter for any beer over 1.040. For a lager you MUST have a starter, and a fairly large one at that (the slurry from at least a gallon for a 1.050 lager.)
My advice: never brew without making sure you have enough fresh, healthy yeast. You don’t want to spend all that time making a perfect wort just to drop the ball on the most important part of the process … fermentation! The best made wort will make terrible beer if you don’t pitch enough yeast. A poorly made wort can still make drinkable beer if you perform a proper fermentation.
A couple of hours usually isn’t enough. The ROT is to give the pack 1 day for every month past manufacture. But the better ROT is to follow majorvices’ instructions about a starter!
can you get dry yeast at this point?
Kai
And, are you set up to actually lager properly?
Might be worth it to go get a couple packs of Saflager 23 (just following Kai’s train of thought)- rehydrate and pitch.
And, some Fermentis S-05 ale yeast produces a nice clean ale so subbing and doing a Blonde ale is a good alternative to a lager.
+1 I always keep a couple packs of US-05 around for “emergencies,” and so I can brew something simple like an APA or Blonde Ale if some time suddenly opens up. Of course, I usually have grain and hops in supply as well.