"An Advent Joy-Sighting!"

Last Sunday (Advent 3), many of you who are pastors pointed us to ADVENT JOY. The choirs sang of JOY.  Some of you chose scriptures that reminded us of Mary's JOY.  We left our churches and wondered if there would be a joy-sighting in these hectic days before Christmas.   We hoped for that. Yesterday, I witnessed just that ... JOY.

While I am normally not at my apartment when the school buses arrive, I was yesterday afternoon.  As I was leaving to go back to work, I saw a sight that I had never seen before.  There were mothers waiting at the top of the hill with young children who were too young to go to school. The bus was at the bottom of the hill. Of course, I waited until all the children stepped out of the bus. The first child to step down was a boy (10 years old would be my guess). His steps were faltering and painful to watch. The others piled off of the bus and ran through the trees and grass, up the hill to their mothers. The first child struggled to walk. I feared that he would fall but he kept trying to make his way through the leaves and around roots of trees and up the hill. I heard a young child scream with delight, “There he is … There he is!”  I turned to see a little boy squirming to break free from his mother's arms.   The mother released the little one and he tumbled through the leaves and down the hill, straight for his older brother. He grabbed him and held him tight. There was great joy in their smiles.

As I drove back to work, I thought that this might be a reflection of Advent JOY for me this year … an example of our own belovedness in God’s heart.  At the end of the day, when there is weariness and an accumulation of moments that has placed some faltering, stumbling and struggle into my hours, I trust that it is God who meets me where I most need to be met, with an anticipation, excitement and love beyond any word-pictures that I might paint.  Yes, my hope in this was renewed when I saw LOVE run to the young boy and JOY shine from the both of them.

Today, I joyfully give thanks that God loves us in this way.  Advent 3 opened my eyes and heart to witness this.   Now, I am looking forward to the 4th Sunday of Advent!   In that anticipation, I am praying for you all as you prepare for this Sunday.  I am truly thankful for clergy and worship teams, choirs, scriptures and liturgy that point the way for us to experience such moments as this.