Ps 139:7-12; Matthew 1:18-25
Dare we find a path to joy in the birth of the son of God, when we see suffering due to catastrophic flooding in Washington state and severe weather impacts not only in our country, but globally? Dare we look for the joy of the birth of Jesus when there is deep grief due to the shootings at Brown University and MIT, as well as the lives lost in the attack upon the people involved in the Hannukah celebration in Australia? And continued sorrow due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the pain and loss experienced by the people of Gaza? And pain as we witness the seemingly endless war Russia carries on against the people of Ukraine?
And yet, it is the human parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, whom we look to, to learn how to find joy. Mary, the birth mother for the Son of God. Being the mother of Jesus carries with it its own pain, in the midst of joy. But Mary chooses joy.
As for Joseph, he is ready to let Mary go, as much as it pains him to do so, believing that her pregnancy indicates she had another love. And yet, the intervention of an angel changes his mind. He gracefully accepts his role to parent Jesus, this holy child and, no doubt, is in awe of the honor it is, to be chosen to be the earthly father.
Given that nothing is impossible with God, then surely God joyfully sending his son to us is reason enough to rejoice this Christmas, and every Christmas, even as we witness pain and suffering in this world. And God invites us to give Christmas not just an “almost” joy, but rather, an “altogether joy.” A joy that is felt in the tiniest details of our lives, to the most impossible happenings of our lives. A joy that takes comfort in God’s promise to be “with-us” through His Son, Emmanuel. A joy that acknowledges the wonder and sacredness of birth. A joy that Christ’s hands stretched out as a vulnerable infant, for the protection and care of Joseph and Mary and the extended family and the entire village. A joy that his hands blessed, comforted, and welcomed all. Those same hands of Christ were also outstretched and nailed to a cross, because humans make choices to seek joy according to their own desires, rather than seeking to come near to God, and God’s Kingdom.
Just picture the feet of Christ kicking with glee, as any infant would, upon exploring the wonder and joy of bodily movement. And as he grew, the feet of Christ walked many dusty miles, to teach, to preach, to joyously carry the love of God to all God’s children, Jews and Gentiles. Those same feet of Christ, nailed to a cross, as if nails could stop God’s grace, justice, and forgiveness. As if death itself has any power over the peace, the hope, the love, the joy that Christ brings for all believers. In the “Altogether Joy” chapter of Almost Christmas, Chris Wiman is quoted as describing joy in this way: “To define joy as present tense is to keep it fastened to time, and that doesn’t feel completely right. It might be truer to say that joy is a flash of eternity that illuminates time…” (p.94 Almost Christmas by M. Devega, I. McIntyre, A. Casperson, M. Rawle)
Matt Rawle goes on to suggest that this flash of eternity might help us to understand and treasure joy in a simpler, yet deeper way. Now, I might not describe his method in as lofty terms as eternity, and some of you might better recognize it as those commercials where the person in the ad recognizes a lost opportunity and smacks their forehead and says “I coulda had a V-8!” Matt describes a situation where his wife needed to take one of their daughters to the doctor, so he had to leave work to come home and take care of the other children. He tried to carry on with some work at home, in the living room with the other kids. His daughter asked him to play with her, and he said no, then he saw her deep disappointment expressed on her face, and he realized he needed to prioritize this child in front of him. So he did, and he got lost in the joy of playing with his daughter, not giving his work another thought, while they played together.
Altogether Joy is found in the simple stuff, the unplanned happening, the little moments. The birth of Christ is coming, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and his arrival is something we cannot schedule to fit nicely into our own schedule, we cannot control how he will show up, and we cannot tell ourselves what to feel when he does show up, because a flash of eternity, well, it has this spark of joy to it that brightens and lightens the hearts of people everywhere, taking us all by surprise with its brilliant flash.
What is this altogether joy? The apostle Paul tells us, in his letter to the people of Philippi: (Philippians 4:4-7) “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 about anything, but in every situation, 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.” The baby Jesus born into this earthly world is joy, and the joy found in Jesus’s birth brings us near to God, and coming near to God bring us the peace of God. What a priceless gift!
In this past week’s devotionals in our Almost Christmas resource, there are specific questions for us to consider daily. 1. Am I happy in God? 2. Is God my glory, my delight, and my source of joy? 3. Is this commandment written in my heart: “That he who loves God loves others also?” 4.Do I love my neighbor as myself? 5. Do I love everyone, even my enemies, even the enemies of God, as my own soul? 6. Do I love others as Christ loved me?
These devotional questions start easily enough. Of course we find happiness in God. Our faith in God brings us deep happiness. And of course we, as believers, delight in our God, who has blessed us in so many ways. Then the questions get a little more challenging. Do we who love God also love others? Well, we might ask God, do you mean love ALL others? Because in any given day, we may not honestly love ALL others. We may have had a disagreement, a falling out with someone, and where there is a falling out, it can be challenging to seek healing for the relationship. But we try, we give it our best, and by God’s grace, healing can and does happen. The final devotional questions have to do with love. Loving self and neighbor. Loving everyone, including enemies. Loving others not just as we know how to love, but as Christ loves us. These are deep questions and require deep consideration. In this waiting time, before the anticipated joyful birth of Christ, we are asked to take the time to seriously examine our relationships with God, with self, and with one another. And not just one another among friends, but all God’s people, even the enemies. So, how do we even attempt this important preparation work for experiencing that altogether joy of the birth of Jesus Christ?
We do this preparation in Advent by worshiping together, by leaning upon one another, trusting one another, sharing with one another, and praising God together, joyfully! Amen!
Pastor Elizabeth Bailey-Mitchell
