One day in December, years ago, I found myself in Duke Chapel, beginning my own Advent time of waiting and worship with the Chapel choir’s offering of Handel’s MESSIAH. The Chapel is breathtakingly beautiful. The voices, raised in song and proclamation, filled the sanctuary with God’s promises and victory. The orchestra lifted the words even higher. And yet, all of these proved to be secondary to my looking into the face of "Advent Joy".
As I sat in the sanctuary, a very distinguished elderly gentleman sat beside of me. He was quite the dapper one! The first thing that I noticed was that he had a ready smile. Well before the music began, we spoke of God and Jesus. We spoke of writing and poetry and of those God-placed friendships in our lives. And then, the face of Advent Joy began to appear on this man’s face in such a way that is almost beyond description. He opened his program and with great joy said, "May I show you the incredible mix of Scriptures in the MESSIAH?" This gentleman pointed to the combination of Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures, intermingled in such a way that God’s love, promises and intentions would radiate throughout the music. With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and said, ‘Isn’t God grand?" The face of Advent Joy began to glow in a very special way.
The music began. His eyes were closed and a faint smile emerged, as if he knew something that perhaps I didn’t. Scriptures of joyous glad tidings were sung and his smile couldn’t have become any larger. He softly chuckled at the words of Isaiah, knowing full well that they would come to pass. He cried tears of joy in those places where hope in the face of death was so beautifully sung. As we stood for the "Hallelujah" chorus, he looked to the heavens for a while and then bowed his head in prayer. And as the last chorus was sung, "Worthy is the Lamb", he sat with his hands folded in his lap, tears streaming down his cheeks.
The music stopped. He threw his arms around me and hugged me saying, "Wasn’t this marvelous? I have loved hearing God’s words in this music and I have enjoyed sharing God’s words with you." Then he disappeared into the crowd, but not before I noticed a countenance of praise on his face that was gentle and beautiful and radiant. I had looked into the face of Advent Joy.
How do you tell someone else about an encounter such as this? I search for words. And I search for those who might understand what I am about to say. I walked away from those hours in Duke Chapel not quite certain "who" I was sitting beside. I voiced this to a pastor and he reminded me of Hebrews 13:2. The man seemed angelic as if he had been afforded special holy glimpses. Perhaps that is what Advent Joy is about … being filled with the words of Isaiah as we wait for and pray that the Christ-child be born anew in us … being filled with the promises of God as we wait for the coming of Jesus once more … being filled with Jesus in such a way that our soul, too, magnifies the Lord as did Mary’s … and being willing to become a servant of our Lord, for God’s radical change in this world
Oh that I too might have the face of Advent Joy.
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