Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
ADVENT LOVE: FROM COMPETE TO COMMEND
LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR SERVICE
(Wednesday, December 21st)
Compete: to strive consciously or unconsciously for an objective (position, profit, prize); be in a state of rivalry
Commend: to entrust for care or preservation; to recommend as worthy of confidence or notice; praise
Have you ever felt as if you had the right talent or expertise for a certain position, but you were not hired? Or have you served well in a vocation and then felt as if the time was right to move on – but you hesitated to relinquish because no one else seemed as capable? There may be times when we feel as if we are the best qualified, that no one could do better than we would.
Our Advent Love reflection today invites us to rethink our tendency to compete and to recognize the times to commend.
Let’s look ahead to a Holy Week story. In the hours before his arrest and eventual crucifixion, Jesus gathered with his disciples to share final words of encouragement, instruction, and commendation. He gave the disciples many assuring promises, including this one…
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12 NRSVUE)
Jesus knew he would soon leave his friends, so he chose to teach and affirm them before entrusting his loving mission to them. Out of love for God and God’s people, Jesus relinquished his rightful leadership role and commended the future to these faithful ones. We now know how his death and resurrection have changed lives for centuries, but I wonder if Jesus wished he could have had a few more earthly years to make an even greater impact. When we read of the times he corrected or chastised his disciples, I also wonder if Jesus doubted their ability to further his message of God’s gracious love.
And yet, Jesus chose to bless his disciples and bestow his sacred mission upon them.
The Advent Love of Jesus is the selfless surrender of pride and plans. Out of our desire to please God, to not be deemed a quitter, we may be tempted to persevere, but the Advent Love of Jesus shows us that we do not need to compete or impress to receive God’s abundant love.
The Advent Love of Jesus is the generous gifting of roles and responsibilities. When we entrust others with something precious while affirming our confidence in them, they have an opportunity to grow and learn – and perhaps do greater works than these! God’s love flourishes when we enable others to flourish.
The Advent Love of Jesus is knowing when to set aside competition, and then to bless and bestow with our commendation.
Bible verses were taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definitions were found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT LOVE: FROM DEFEND TO DIGNIFY
LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN HONORING ONE ANOTHER
(Tuesday, December 20th)
Defend: to drive danger or attack away from; to maintain or support in the face of argument or hostile criticism
Dignify: to give distinction to, confer dignity upon; the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed
I was serving as a youth director at an urban neighborhood church when I first met Beth. Beth suffered from a mental anguish that kept her homeless and often fearful. One day she stopped by the church office for a bit of money, and we began chatting. She soon began stopping by more often as our friendship developed. I was willing to give her a warm (or cool) place to rest for as long as she felt comfortable. There were times when the experience was rather difficult, when she would be especially anxious and unclean. But there were other times when she was quite delightful and insightful.
One evening Beth stopped by as our youth group was preparing an Advent dinner for the congregation, and I invited her to stay for dinner. She was visibly nervous, but she was also quite eager to have a warm meal.
While I was busy in the kitchen, Beth must have sensed some fear, and she began cursing in the dining room. Soon I was surprised to see her being escorted, wide-eyed, out of the building by one of our church members, a retired police officer who was trying to protect the people who had gathered for dinner. In a desperate moment, I wrapped my arms around Beth, explaining that she was my friend, asking him to let her stay, promising there would be no more problems. When he refused, I threatened, “If she leaves, then I am leaving, too!” With some harsh words as to how much that would please him, he took her out the door.
I was quite shaken. But I could not leave – I was responsible for leading the worship service that evening while our pastor was away!
My sermon message included thoughts about the love God holds for all of humanity. And during the sharing of Communion, I gave bread to the man who had upset me earlier, now kneeling at the railing.
“The Body of Christ, given for you.”
For all of us…
After the service, I was delighted to find Beth in the parking lot! She was laughing, seemingly carefree, despite the fact that she had been treated badly. I realized that by defending her in her helplessness, I was also dignifying her as my friend. Our unusual relationship was solidified when she realized it was mutual.
There were so many lessons in love that evening.
Advent Love is the love that defends.
Advent Love is the love of Jesus defending the woman caught in adultery (John 8).
Advent Love is the love that stands up for those who are being mistreated –
by protecting those who are being cursed,
and by embracing those who are being escorted out.
Advent Love is the love that dignifies.
Advent Love is the love of Jesus eating dinner with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2).
Advent Love is the love that respects and honors those who need it –
by claiming and naming one as a friend,
and by breaking bread with one who has been hurtful.
Advent Love defends. Advent Love dignifies. Advent Love sustains us through the unexpected encounters, strengthens us to defend the helpless, and stretches us to dignify the difficult.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:14-18, 21 NRSVUE)
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible verses taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT LOVE: FROM ENFORCE TO EMBRACE
LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE FOR US
(Monday, December 19th)
Enforce: to urge with energy; constrain, compel
Embrace: to hug; cherish, love; encircle, enclose; to take up especially readily or gladly; to avail oneself of; welcome; to take in or include as a part, item, or element of a more inclusive whole
Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NRSVUE)
“You must love me.”
By the inflection in our words, we can easily change the intended meaning of this sentence. Said one way, you must love me can sound like a command. You must do this. You cannot do that. You must love me. But in a different context, with a different emphasis, the sentence can sound like a surprising response to a kindness. You made this gift for me? Wow, you must love me! You have been so kind to me. You must really love me!
In our passage for today, when asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus repeats the commandment from Deuteronomy, “You shall love the Lord your God…”
We are commanded to love God. And in a generously gracious way, God helps us to obey this command, not through strict enforcement, but through God’s loving embrace shown to us in Christ. This is our gift of Advent Love today.
The Advent Love of God has come to us first, without our invitation or preparation. God lovingly came to us in the birth of Jesus, while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Advent Love continues to embrace us even as we remain sinners. When we recognize how God has loved us first, how God has lavished abundant life on us all, and how God humbled Godself to become one with us, we could exclaim, “You must love me!” When we remember the life and love of Jesus and how God overcame death through his resurrection, we could exclaim, “You must love me!” When we realize that Christ remains with us through the Spirit, we could exclaim, “You must love me!”
We want to return love to the One who loves us so much.
I believe God is blessed by our love that arises from our genuine respect, gratitude, humility, and joy. I believe God is further blessed when we share that love to others with the same respect, gratitude, humility, and joy.
Love cannot be easily enforced but can be readily embraced.
This is our way of Advent Love.
Definitions from https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible verses taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
WHAT IS LOVE?
Sunday, December 18th
(Each day this week, we will be focusing on the difference Love makes in our lives.)
You may wish to light the four candles of HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE if you have an Advent wreath.
For this, our last week of the Advent season, our focus will be on Love, perhaps the best gift of all. Love also has three definitions for our reflection. The definition of LOVE includes:
~ strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests; warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
This is the love and affection we have for our dear ones, such as our spouses, partners, family members, and friends. The kinship or personal ties that bind us together bring a richness of care, encouragement, appreciation, and devotion. We are blessed by the mutual giving and receiving in loving relationships.
~ the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration
Love also describes the one who receives our devotion. God is my love, Jim is my love, and so on with the people and pets we treasure. We are devoted to them with affection, care, and appreciation.
~ unselfish loyal and benevolent for the good of another: such as the fatherly concern of God for humankind, brotherly concern for others, a person’s adoration of God
This type of Love is sometimes described as Agape Love, the generous love God has for us and we can have for others – even if love is not returned.
Our gift of Advent Love is all of these. Through God’s incarnation in Jesus, God establishes a kinship, a loving relationship with us. God is also the Love, the One who receives our love and adoration. Finally, Advent Love is the Agape Love, given freely from God for the good of us all, the Love we have been asked to share.
~~~~~
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation…”
(Luke 1:46-50 NRSVUE)
Mary proclaims these words after Elizabeth affirms that Mary indeed has been blessed to carry God’s son. Love shines through Mary’s response, as she praises the magnificence of God and also acknowledges her lowly state and servanthood. Love leads Mary to fall before God, for even as God’s Love is doing incredible things through Mary, she is lowering herself in humility and reverence.
We cling to hope, let go for peace, jump for joy, and fall in love!
And on this last Sunday of Advent, Mary’s story once again is our story.
God’s Love is also able to do incredible things through us, especially when we fall before God in humility and reverence. Deepening in our Love for God, we lower ourselves in reverent adoration, in humble service, in gracious surrender. As our self-reliance and self-centeredness decrease, God’s strength and guidance will increase. We avail ourselves to become conduits for God’s Love to flow into us, then through us onto others.
Advent Love makes the better difference in the living of our days.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Bible passage found at https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definition found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
ADVENT JOY: FROM FINISH TO FULFILL
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR DAILY LIVING
(Friday, December 16th)
Finish: to bring to completion or issue; to come to the end of a course, task, or undertaking
Fulfill: to bring to an end; to develop the full potential of; to convert into reality
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalm 16:11 NRSVUE)
Jim and I like Wordle so much that we downloaded the app for Duotrigordle. This game has 32 word boards with 37 guesses allowed! With each guess, we are shown the number of attempts remaining in order to win. This is where Jim and I differ. Once he knows he will lose, he stops playing the game. My disciplined nature compels me to play until all 37 guesses are used, even when I know I will not be able to get all the words. But once I realize I will not win, the game is no longer challenging, purposeful, or “joyful”.
I finish the game, but I do not fulfill the goal.
Let’s think about this difference between finishing and fulfilling as we reflect on Advent Joy today. Our Advent Joy comes when we sense that our lives have purpose and meaning, that we can make good differences while we are here, that we will not just finish at life’s end, but we will have fulfilled all we had hoped to do – and possibly all that God hoped for us to do. Our trials and challenges can even bring joy when we regard them as part of our journey, trusting that they hold lessons or insights toward the fulfillment of our purpose.
Our lives are precious gifts from God. We are here not just to exist, but to fully experience all the days that God graciously gives us. Advent Joy is ours when we seek to live as Christ would have us live, serve as Christ would have us serve, love as Christ would have us love. Advent Joy comes when our purpose is to not just reach the finish line, but to have run the race well. We may never know if we have fulfilled every purpose or accomplished all that we were meant to do. But Joy comes in our leaps of faith, our sacred encounters, our meaningful work, our generous hospitality, our humble service, and our search for God in all of this.
May Advent Joy be the impetus for this day – to love and serve abundantly in this life we have been privileged to receive.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
(Isaiah 55:10-13 NRSVUE)
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible passages taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT JOY: FROM EDGINESS TO EAGERNESS
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR FUTURE
(Thursday, December 15th)
Edginess: being on edge; tense, irritable; characterized by tension; having a bold, provocative, or unconventional quality
Eagerness: marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9 NRSVUE)
During the week before we plan to travel, Jim will often teasingly ask me, “Is it time for you to organize your coupons?” This is his humorous and gentle way of pointing out my edginess before our vacation or weekend trips. When we are going to be away from home for any length of time, I busy myself with tasks that have not mattered for months. Culling expired coupons. Tidying shoe racks. Straightening towels. Alphabetizing spices.
This could be what is called, “getting our affairs in order”, only I do this with minutia. I know that my angst stems from the inner concern, “What if something happens to us while we are away?” I hate to think that our family may find an expired coupon should we not return (I hope you are laughing with me)! My edginess keeps me quite busy until we are finally on our way.
I am eager for our getaways, but edgy in the days leading up to them.
But seriously, this angst, this edginess, can come over us whenever we think about our final getaway. This is when the Advent Joy of Jesus – the Joy of God-with-us, the Joy of promised resurrection – becomes especially dear.
Jim and I recently attended a Christmas gathering, and he introduced me to an old friend. His friend had become quite thin and gaunt after struggling with cancer and other health issues in the past year. But this gentleman radiated joy as he said, “I am praying that I will get to hold my (future) grandchild, but if I don’t, I will get to see my parents, our deceased child, my dear friend – and I will get to see Jesus! Who wouldn’t want that?!” He smiled widely as he envisioned that glorious moment. His excitement for the heavenly kingdom was palpable, and his joy has remained with me.
Advent Joy is our reassuring joy that the heavenly kingdom is even better than what we can fathom, an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Advent Joy can move us from our edginess into eagerness, each time we trust this promise, envision the glory, and imagine our incredible reunion with everyone we love – including Jesus. We will rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.
As with every getaway, my edginess may always remain, but as departure time draws closer, my eagerness will reign. May Advent Joy lessen our edginess and fill our hearts with eagerness for the living of these days – and on into our eternal days.
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible verses taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT JOY: FROM DAZZLE TO DELIGHT
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR ENCOUNTERS
(Wednesday, December 14th)
Dazzle: to shine brilliantly; to arouse admiration by an impressive display; to impress deeply, overpower, or confound with brilliance
Delight: to take great pleasure; to give keen enjoyment; to give joy or satisfaction to
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.
(Matthew 18:20 NRSVUE)
Over the years, I have heard dynamic speakers at a variety of spiritual retreats and conferences. I was impressed by their expertise, their charisma, their ability to speak with eloquence and insight, and their visibly enthusiastic passion for God. I have attended Christian concerts and been amazed by the talent and energy of the bands. These popular leaders have dazzled me while influencing and inspiring my faith and discipleship. I am thankful for these speakers and entertainers who share their joy by serving God with their passion and gifts.
But there is nothing like the joy I feel when I encounter folks who are genuinely delighted to see me! They radiate joy as if I am someone special – and I sense the presence of Christ in them. Their warm smiles and embraces, their eagerness to hear my stories, and their sincere care for me are huge gifts of love. They bring joy through their selfless way of setting themselves aside and letting Christ’s light and love shine through.
We experience a dynamic joy when we sense God’s power moving through the talents and energies of great speakers and musicians. But we experience an abiding joy when we feel Christ’s presence moving through our friendships and love, in our genuine concern for one another, in the joy of our mutual, shared community.
We may not have dazzling gifts and talents to extend the ripple effect of Advent Joy, but we can radiate Joy in our delight for one another! As we shine with the warmth and light of God’s love, beaming with genuine happiness and concern for others, we will become humble agents of sweet and sincere Advent Joy.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:9-10 NRSVUE)
Bible passages taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT JOY: FROM DISCIPLINE TO DEVOTION (AND BACK AGAIN!)
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR TIME WITH GOD
(Tuesday, December 13th)
Discipline: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character
Devotion: piety; an act of prayer or private worship; the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal
Which came first, the discipline or the devotion?
This question came to mind as I was reflecting on these two words. I was thinking about spiritual disciplines, the practices that help us draw closer, quiet ourselves, and listen for God. They serve to increase our devotion for God, and then our devotion for God inspires us to want more time in those disciplines!
Our Advent Joy is the Joy of the discipline that comes from the Joy of the devotion.
My faith was first built on discipline. Our family went to worship and Sunday school each week, whether I wanted to or not. As a young teen, I regarded God as a disciplinarian who was often disappointed in me. My junior high catechism classes bored me, and Old Testament history, well, I could not see the point of those stories. Even as an adult, I struggle with meditative silence, and I definitely do not grow spiritually through fasting. And yet, all of these experiences set the foundation for a deeper relationship and longing for God.
Isn’t this true with every loving relationship? At times a parent feels joy and delight in their devotion for their child – enjoying sweet snuggles, answering innocent questions, savoring adorable moments. At other times love requires discipline – getting up in the middle of the night for feedings, changing yet another diaper, doing endless loads of laundry. Our devotion includes discipline, and our discipline includes devotion.
Over time, I have discovered the spiritual disciplines that align with my soul. I find deep joy in God’s presence each time I walk in nature, journal my prayers, share devotions with Jim, and write my reflections. I eagerly approach these disciplines with heartfelt joy – and devotion! Yet, I know there is joy in stretching and challenging myself with other disciplines that may feel more like… discipline.
These two gifts belong together. Advent Joy enriches both of these, as God’s presence in Christ invites our discipline and increases our devotion.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High,
to declare your steadfast love in the morning
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
(Psalm 92:1-4 NRSVUE)
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible passage taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
ADVENT JOY: FROM BELIEVE TO BEHOLD
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN EXPERIENCING GOD
Monday, December 12th
Believe: to accept something as true, genuine, or real; to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion; to regard the existence of God as a fact
Behold: to perceive through sight or apprehension; see; to gaze upon; observe
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11 NRSVUE)
Our Advent Joy today comes from this story of the shepherds, with the joy of the angel’s proclamation and the glory shining all around! Can you imagine being one of those shepherds? What a surprising, awakening experience of sheer joy in the darkness of night!
Our Advent Joy is our awakening to God all around us. This awakening first began with God becoming incarnate with us in the birth of Jesus. Advent Joy transforms our experience of God from believing to beholding – we move from believing in the existence of God to witnessing God’s presence in our existence!
I first heard of this difference – believing to beholding – from Barbara Brown Taylor at a writers’ conference. In her memoir, Leaving Church, she wrote of her struggle:
The parts of the Christian story that had drawn me into the Church were not the believing parts but the beholding parts…
Whether the narratives starred hayseed shepherds confronted by hosts of glittering angels or desert pilgrims watching something like a dove descend upon a man in a river as a voice from heaven called him “Beloved,” Christian faith seemed to depend on beholding things that were clearly beyond belief…
I wanted out of the belief business and back into the beholding business. I wanted to recover the kind of faith that has nothing to do with being sure what I believe and everything to do with trusting God to catch me though I am not sure of anything.1
We may not witness the glory of angels shining all around, but we can witness the glory of the vast multitude of planets and stars in a universe beyond our comprehension. We may not have seen the birth of Jesus, but we can witness God’s presence in the sacred sound of any newborn cry. We may not see a burning bush, but we can witness God’s creative power in a radiant autumn tree. We may not hear an angel’s proclamation, but we can hear God’s voice in our quiet meditation. God continues to be with us, moving among us, revealing Godself to us. We only need to awaken our hearts and minds to be alert.
God came to us in Christ to deepen our faith from believe to behold, from knowing the existence of God to delighting in the experience of God. This is our Advent Joy!
1Taylor, Barbara Brown. Leaving Church. HarperCollins, 2006.
Bible verses taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definitions were found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Photo by Karen
JOY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
WHAT IS JOY?
Sunday, December 11th
(Each day this week, we will be focusing on the difference Joy makes in our lives.)
If you have an Advent wreath, you may light the Hope, Peace, and Joy candles.
Our next gift, Advent Joy, also makes a beautiful difference in our lives. Let’s again look at three definitions of Joy as we begin our week. The definition of Joy includes:
~ the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires
We think of this joy as the exuberant reaction to good news, such as the arrival of a new grandchild, a call from an old friend, the achievement of a longtime goal, the sharing of a special celebration. One Christmas, our children gave us a digital photo frame, and each time we receive a new photo of our family or fun times, we have joy from the delightful memory that has been sent our way.
~ delight; a state of happiness or felicity; bliss
We also experience joy as a countenance or general way of being, the joie de vivre, the exuberant enjoyment of life. I have noticed more of this joy in the years since my cancer, as I hold more gratitude and appreciation for the delights of each day.
~ a source or cause of delight
Here again, the word joy can also be the origin or source of our joy. Our Advent Joy comes from God in Christ – Jesus is our source of Joy!
Through the joyful surprise of Jesus’s birth, the joyful countenance of life with Christ, and the gift of joy given to us through his Spirit, we have many reasons for Advent Joy. As we continue Mary’s story, we see the Joy she also received…
~~~~~
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” (Luke 1:39-45 NRSVUE)
We cling to Hope, let go for Peace, and this time we jump for Joy!
By the joyful leap of her baby within, Elizabeth recognized that Mary was carrying God’s son. We can imagine the ripple effect of this joy – the baby leaps with joyful delight, Elizabeth is joyfully surprised, and Mary becomes joyfully relieved because someone else recognizes and affirms her holy pregnancy.
This story is ours, too.
Like Mary, we have our Advent Joy through the surprising love of God in the birth of Jesus. Like Elizabeth’s baby (who is the baptizer John), we receive Joy through the movement of the Spirit. In times of uncertainty, we find Joy in the companionship of other faithful friends, as did Mary and Elizabeth. Advent Joy can come to us at all times of the year. Our legs may no longer be able to jump for joy, but our spirits surely can!
We see in Mary’s story that Joy is also meant to be shared. How might we extend Joy to others today? We can share the assurance of God’s love for someone. We can recognize and affirm another as sacred and special. We can delight someone with a small kindness. We can talk about our reasons for Joy. We can invite the Spirit to reveal the sweet and holy joys that are meant for us – and intended for others, too.
We can contribute to Joy’s ripple effect this Advent season.
Advent Joy makes the better difference in our lives.
Photo by Rebecca Peterson-Hall on Unsplash
Bible passage taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Definition from https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Simply Soul Searching 