Finding Hope, Peace and Joy

When I look back at my sermon from Advent I: Hope this year, my funk with the world perhaps comes through. The state of international politics, the seeming indifference to the news of how little time we have to turn around the impending worldwide climate disaster, the crisis in Yemen with little concrete action, and deaths impacting friends of mine - all of this coloured my lens for hope. It wasn’t easy to project absolute trust in God’s plans to save us, despite our giftedness at turning what God meant for good into destructive living.

But I was reminded last week as I prepared for Advent II: Peace of remarkable stories of hope from my community, and this past weekend at a variety of experiences of what the church can do to shine hope and peace in darkness. We need the cycle of the church year, the annual remembering of how far we have fallen from where we could and should be, and then the incredible realization of just how much we are getting right when we plug in to the body of Christ and serve and worship together shoulder to shoulder.

As we approach Advent III: Joy, a friend on facebook said that she chooses joy, and I realized she makes a great point. We always have a choice of how we respond to the hand we are dealt - we can be resigned, fearful, assuming we are at fault, or we can see opportunity, gifts, and joy. We are halfway through Advent and can choose to see the hand of God in this journey. In our busyness we can still find moments of quiet to remember our need of the Christ child. We can take the time to reflect on what has happened to us that has brought us hope, peace and joy. We can ask God to help us to see with the vision of the divine - the needs around us, the blessings, the gifts offered to us by others.

I was thinking about how this time that is supposed to be a time of excited waiting and preparation for Christmas often becomes so scheduled and over-filled compared to the rest of the year. My calendar is wild this whole month with getting ready as well as trying to fit in lots of visits with friends. But I am also intentionally choosing this because I know that my gas tank is getting empty and I need to get out and fill it.

My prayer for you in these hectic days of extra preparation for pageants and services, of family commitments and special concerts and events, is that you embrace the things that are before you and that you are fully present, soaking in whatever God has for you at each. Discern wisely which things are actually important to your Advent journey and which are just keeping you busy and away from the gifts God has for you in this time.

We find the gifts of hope, peace and joy as we intentionally walk the road to Bethlehem, re-reading the story of Emmanuel coming to be God with us and considering its context. We also naturally become ambassadors of these gifts as we share with others in need. In doing so, we are both blessed.

Mary couldn’t help but sing out her joy on meeting Elizabeth and having confirmation of what Gabriel said to her about Jesus. She found strength in being with her cousin who understood. Try to find time to connect with the people who get your journey and the stress of the season. Celebrate the ways that God has worked in and through you and blessed you with companions on the road this year, enabling you to spread those spiritual and other gifts.

May your Advent be filled with the richness of the awareness of Emmanuel. There is still time to pay attention to the new thing God is doing within and around you.