JOY: Experiencing Joy This Season

Read: Amos 8:4-12; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

By Julian Wright
 

This Advent, like most, I am struck by the incongruities. A helpless babe as a Messiah. The lure and lucre of commerce in a season meant to be about redeeming love and – if the manger story retains any relevance – a certain simplicity of living. In today’s scripture, I am struck by the incongruities even more. Amos sends a clear warning on the perils of wealth to greedy capitalists and anyone not nearly attentive enough to the needs of the poor. (Amos 8:4-12). I find the message daunting as my law partners and I gather in much of the bounty of a years’ worth of work, and many of our clients finish deals and tally up balance sheets for the IRS’s year-end deadlines. Yet, we juxtapose Amos with Paul’s (the conventional writer of at least parts of 2 Corinthians) praise of zeal in giving and reaping abundantly. (2 Corinthians 9:1-15). Indeed, in this season of giving – as always, even if a bit late for stewardship season – we are reminded that “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

It is often in such incongruities – these admitted mysteries of life – that I find the Joy of this Season. In heeding Amos’ warning and going from not trampling on the poor and needy to actually trying to help out on occasion, I glimpse hope and perhaps provide it for those I more conscientiously reach out to help. In bountiful giving – in whatever form – I aspire to do as much good and spread as much love in Paul’s “ministry of the saints” as I can. The Joy comes most readily in lighting up the eyes of a child, a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger – all of whom give to me in some form and to whom I try to give to in some reciprocal measure – with some type of gift during this time of year and trying to extend that Joy throughout the year. For today, heed Amos’s warning; emulate the generosity of the church at Corinth in giving; and experience the Joy of the Season.

PEACE: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily:
to us the path of knowledge show; and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Root of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save and give them victory o’er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind;
bid envy, strife, and discord cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Translator: John Mason Neale (1851)
Tune: VENI EMMANUEL (Chant)

PEACE: We are Restored

Read: John 8:3-11 and Psalm 126:1-3


By Jen Christianson

Neither do I condemn you, Jesus says to the woman. And he sends her out, restored. Restored to community, perhaps; restored in the eyes of her condemners, maybe; but I think restored most of all in her own sight. Restored, because the Lord refused to condemn her.

“Who is in a position to condemn?”

It’s a question we hear in worship, in the declaration of pardon. A strange place to find it, because the answer to that question – only Christ – is the same person who forgives us. The only one who can really condemn us is the one to save us. It’s an upside-down reality, too good to be true, and yet this story from John shows us that it is true.

It feels too good to be true. It must be too good to be true – we must be like those who dream in Psalm 126. But then we hear again the words of Jesus: “neither do I condemn you.” He didn’t then, and he doesn’t now, and it isn’t a dream – it is real.

Sometimes we speak of these miracles in the past tense: “The Lord has done great things for us,” but they are also present and future. Redemption was granted to this woman when she least expected it, and healing, and restoration – and it has been ours, and is ours, and will be ours.

In Advent, when we’re faced with the brokenness of this world, with the brokenness inside, when this promise from Jesus seems like a dream, we can read these passages, and hear again this reassurance. The dream is true: we are whole, and forgiven, and redeemed in God’s sight – the only sight that matters.

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PEACE: Finding Lasting Peace

Read: Luke 1:68-79, Philippians 1:12-18a


By Chaz Snider

Peace can be elusive. Whether in our personal life or the political world, peace often feels momentary, fleeting, or temporary. It can feel like we need to hold onto peace when we have it because we know it will be gone soon or it may seem like peace is solely based on external circumstances. But, we are invited by God’s redemptive story into a deeper understanding and experience of peace.

In Luke’s gospel, we find the first words Zechariah speaks after God restores his capacity to speak. His words are reminiscent of the Hebrew prophets, reminding God's people of God's faithfulness, goodness and mercy. As he closes, he speaks of a new dawn that will, "guide our feet into the way or peace." That way of peace is greater than our external situations, greater than our daily pressures, and stronger than our deepest conflicts. The way of peace Zechariah speaks of is an internal reality that holds fast in the midst of external chaos.

But we are still left with the question of where does this peace come from? To wrestle with this question we can turn to Paul's words to the Philippians. Here, from prison, Paul writes about Christ as his source of confidence, his center point of peace. And like Paul, Christ remains our source of real lasting peace. So this time of advent can remind us that it was God stepping into our world of human experience that forged new and lasting ways of peace.

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HOPE: It Only Takes a Minute

Read: I Thessalonians 4:13-18

By Addie Rising

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope." I Thessalonians 4:13

When you’re seven years old, a minute is an eon and an hour is an eternity … which makes sense since a seven year old only has about 32,000 hours for reference. I, on, the other hand … well, I might break my calculator. Let’s just say it’s a few thousand more. But these minutes, as a parent, can elicit all kinds of emotion: joy, anger, amusement, grief and, more often than not, hope.
Each morning during the school year, once the rush to get out the door is finished and we’re confined to the car for the five-minute ride to school, my seven-year-old son, Joseph, has my undivided attention. Our discussions vary widely from the mundane – “did you brush your teeth?” -- to borderline-philosophical – “so if clean my room better than my sisters, am I a better person?” – to complete silliness – “Knock, knock …”.

And then sometimes I get, “I miss Papa Alan.”

When you’re seven, you speak of lost loved ones – especially ones you have never met – the same way you would speak of a family member who lives far away that you’ve never met or have met, but you can’t quite recall the meeting. You’ve missed the loss and grief aspects of death, but the missing and the longing aspects are still there. Joseph will talk about how he misses his Uncle Andy (who lives in California) or his Papa Alan (my father-in-law, who passed away years before Joseph was born). The reference is the same. My response, however, is not. “Hopefully, we’ll get to see Uncle Andy soon.” Because, this can still happen. As for Papa Alan, well, Joseph will never meet him. Joseph will never know Papa Alan the same way my husband knew him or the way I knew him. But I’m still hopeful. Hopeful that we can teach Joseph about his Papa Alan through stories and pictures to help fill that void that he feels, a void we all feel this time of year.

So our morning five-minute commute to school has expired and as we say our goodbyes and I watch Joseph skip into the school hallway, I smile. I head to work filled with hope and am grateful I have another 30 eons in the car to think about my family -- past, present, near and far.

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HOPE: Believing in God's Plan

Read: Philippians 4:4-7
 

By Amy Sullivan

Five years ago, my loving father passed away unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. This tragic event marked the beginning of an extremely difficult period of time. My family and I experienced job insecurity, debt, addiction issues, depression, anxiety and in all honesty, like many marriages, loneliness and confusion.

I knew bad things happened to good people – I just hadn’t experienced it. Prior to my father's death, moments of grief, fear, or anger tended to be fleeting; I was able to agree with those who would say, "God doesn’t give you more than you can handle." My new reality was different. It felt unmanageable. I had lost hope. Or, was it faith?

I have always believed in God and enjoyed praying. My prayers were usually prayers of gratitude and thanks, or prayers of assistance for a friend in need. Now my prayers became cries to God for help and understanding. I questioned God. Where was God? Why was my life in such chaos?

As I lamented on this with a close friend, she stated, "You love well." She went on to say that she was in awe of my ability to show love and compassion. She praised my ability to hope.

Hope is the desire for something good and the BELIEF that it is attainable. Biblical hope is even stronger -- it is a faith and belief that God has a plan.

I hope for a stronger marriage built on love, trust, and forgiveness. I hope for a stronger relationship with God based on faith. I hope to have understanding and accept God’s plan for me. I hope to eventually return to a place of peace in my mind and in my heart. I know that through Christ, all things are possible.

So, I lean on these words from Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious in anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

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HOPE: Finding Joy through Grief

Read: John 1:1-5

By Kim Moseley

Hope, Peace, Joy, Love - words or symbols associated with Advent can ring hollow because this season conjures up feelings of hopelessness, unrest, grief and loneliness for many. I have felt this paradox acutely this fall as one of the facilitators for GriefShare, a 13-week program at Covenant for those grieving loved ones. As the holidays approach statements like "How do I get through? How do I cope?" have been common. This season can feel more like a sense of dread and we don't have to have experienced a recent loss to share this sentiment. But I wonder if there is not space to hold both, both grief and joy, fear and peace, hope and loneliness? Brother David Steindle-Rast, an Austrian Benedict says "grief and joy are more like twin sisters than the sworn enemies we often take them to be. Both speak to listening hearts. Both contain unfathomable depths of feeling. And both point towards gratefulness: grief comes from a heartrending appreciation of what matters most to us, while joy reawakens us to life's wonder even when we've discovered how precarious it is."

In Henry Nouwen's book "Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life" he writes "Learning to weep, learning to keep vigil, learning to wait for the dawn, perhaps this is what it means to be human. In the midst of our sadness there is joy, in the midst of our fears there is peace, in the midst of our greediness there is the possibility of compassion." This makes me think of how Jerry Sittser in his book, "Grace Disguise," following the death of his mother, wife and daughter in a tragic car accident, describes the soul as being elastic, like a balloon. It can grow larger through suffering allowing for the experience of greater joy, strength, peace, and love as well as the natural and legitimate emotions of anger, depression, despair, and anguish. So maybe this Advent we can embrace the paradox and the mystery that “the light shines on the inside of the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it" (John1:5) by holding all emotions we experience with kindness and nonjudgment. 

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HOPE: Thankful for God's Provisions

Read: Psalm 147: 7-11

By Ashlee Anderson

The Christmas season brings with it a feeling of hope. As Webster puts it hope is “to cherish a desire with anticipation” or “to expect with confidence.” This time of year most children are putting their hopes in a jolly old man who flies all around the world in one night, slides down every chimney, eats thousands of cookies without getting full and there isn’t a doubt in their minds that it cannot
be done. Am I crazy to wish my faith were like that?

Often my heart wanders to places of want, especially during this season, and at the end of the day none of those unneeded requests will fill my soul's true desires. Reading today’s verse reminds me how much and how richly God already provides. I wake up and have breath in my lungs, two stable feet on the ground, hands to serve, a heart to love, eyes to see His beauty, and ears to hear the music God gives to the world. That is a miracle that I can celebrate more than just once a year. My hope is that our hearts would not lack in gratitude, in thanksgiving, in praise for the gifts God presents to each of us daily. To not take pause once a year and see His goodness but to “sing to the Lord with grateful praise” all the year long and to put our hope not in excessive wants but in God’s gracious, merciful, unfailing love.

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HOPE: I Cannot Keep From Singing

Passages: Micah 4:1-5 and Psalm 79

By Ariel Gritter 

My Life Flows On: How Can I Keep from Singing?
Glory to God #821

My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation. I hear the clear, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging. Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?

Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing. It finds an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die? I know my Savior liveth. What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night he giveth.

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing! All things are mine since I am his! How can I keep from singing?

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging. Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?

This hymn became my mantra the summer of 2014, after a trip to the Holy Land and the Gaza war that broke out soon after we returned. The plea to help Jerusalem expressed in Psalm 79 surely remains on the lips of her residents today, and we see tumult and strife in our own country, too. This present reality seems so far removed from the wonderful, hopeful vision unfolding in Micah: All people of the world coming to Jerusalem to learn peace! Humming this hymn reminds me of the hope Christ gives our world. Our present reality is not the final word and truly I cannot keep from singing!

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HOPE: In God's Hands

Passage: Psalm 25: 1-10

By Suzanne Harmon


As a single girl in Southern California, I applied my Type-A personality and project management skills to finding my future mate. I was an online dating warrior. I was willing to be set up with anyone. I tried speed dating ... three times.  I gave every date a nickname.  A coworker started a chart on my cubicle whiteboard to keep track of how things were going with "Mohawk Man," "The Woolly Mammoth" and "Old Man Sweatpants."  Surely, anyone walking by that list of potential suitors would be wondering, "how does she keep the faith?" -- or more likely, what does "The Woolly Mammoth" look like exactly?  And I would tell them this: that in all my past experiences, God has heard and answered my prayers.

Psalm 25 echoes this same sentiment of hope, and eventually, God led me to realize that I needed to approach my prayer as the psalmist did.  Instead of praying for God to drop a man on my front doorstep, I asked Him to show me the right path and the road He pointed to, had a giant, neon sign that read "Charlotte, N.C."

Within three weeks of relocating, I met my husband, Craig.  Delightfully, God also answered a prayer I had yet to ask.  He led me to my Covenant church family, where I have made connections with people who pray for me, who feel like old friends, and who certainly would have never let me go out with a guy who wore sweatpants on a first date.

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HOPE: Investing in the Future

"...May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all people..."  (1 Thessalonians 3: 9-13)

By Mary Lynne Calhoun

This summer, I became That Woman. You know, the one with the goofy grin who not-so-secretly hopes you’ll ask to see pictures. On July 26 Isabel was born and Lawrence and I became first-time grandparents. Not only are we awash with love but the presence of this little child has reignited an investment in and hope for the future.

As Edmond McDonald wrote: "The great events of this world are not battles and elections and earthquakes and thunderbolts. The great events are babies, for each child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged with humanity but is still expecting good-will to become incarnate in each human life."

The late anthropologist Margaret Mead once advised that for happiness and optimism in old age, one should develop a personal relationship with at least one child who needs a caring adult. Such a relationship provides the older person with a clear, direct investment in the future.

To live out this investment, we must see each child - those known to us and those unknown - as a beloved child of God. We must act collectively and individually on the behalf of children so that they too have the gift of hope. In Advent, we await the birth of One who invited the little children to come to him. Let us join in this invitation.

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