Advent Joy
Can you name a moment where you were overwhelmed by JOY. You were overcome with a distinct sense of JOY, it was the one word that perfectly captured the moment or your feelings? I think I can honestly say, I’m not sure. If I were to think of my wedding day or the birth of my kids, JOY certainly fits the bill, but would I have used that word in the moment, umm not so sure. Is JOY something beyond happiness or is it nuanced happiness? It most definitely belongs in the happiness family!? Do you ever force it or try to convince yourself that this is a JOYFUL moment. For me JOY, is an abstract, maybe sometimes a nuance of happiness, but I don’t often think about being in a state of JOYFULNESS. I don’t know, maybe that is me or maybe I just don’t understand JOY that well.
So why do we dedicate a candle to JOY. As before, it is a word that we see in spades this time of year. It is also probably one of those words that is hard to make a negative connotation, one of the few words with that power. How would you define JOY and is it word that you recognize in your life, A word that you would use to define a particular moment in the moment?
JOY. Like our other Advent words, the Bible uses a variety of words to convene this word JOY. Each one is slightly nuanced, but essentially they invite us to hear and embody this word JOY. IF you take a step back and look at the complete story of the Bible ,what you quickly pick up on is that the theme/idea of JOY runs through the entire Bible. JOY is repeated over and over again in nearly every book of the Bible – I wonder if that means something. From the very beginning, the reader is very quickly told that what God has created is very good and that creation finds JOY in all that is created (Psalm 65:11-12). And JOY is found in multiple things.
As we continue to dwell in this word what we hear, read and understand is that JOY is not found simply through happy circumstances. JOY is held, is known because people of faith hold onto the HOPE of God’s love and promises.
Think of the story where Moses leads Israel out of Egypt. They are in the middle of the desert, they have sense of being lost and vulnerable, the promised land was far away, but they carry this immutable sense that GOD is leading them to something better, something freer, something holy. Their present sense of JOY is in their future destiny, not their present struggles.
As we read the Bible closely, that theme continues. And we all know that that theme is most pronounced here, now at Jesus’ birth. Recall, “I give you good news of great JOY, for unto you is born….”
This week as we have and will be reminded about this infant savior, let us not forget the power and meaning of JOY. JOY is not a mood, as the Bible Project creators have said, “Christian JOY is a profound decision of faith and hope in the power of Jesus’ own life and love.”
God you are the source of JOY. Help us like Mary to ponder this season, and ponder its meaning. So that we can experience a JOY that surpasses all reason and all understanding. Amen