Piece by piece we are building housing for the Holy this Advent season.
On the first Sunday of Advent we laid a foundation of Hope for God’s Holy home. [Relight first candle].
Last Sunday we raised four walls of eternal Peace on that foundation. [Relight second candle].
Today, on this third Sunday, we are adding windows and doors so Joy can shine forth to a world hungering and thirsting for that illusive quality of life that is so much more than happiness.
Happiness is fleeting; it comes briefly with a moment of success, a random act of kindness, or a surprise visit of a friend. But like the sun setting in the west happiness soon fades away, leaving us longing for more.
Joy is deeper than happiness, unaffected by external circumstances. Joy is like the calm below the sea. No matter how high the wind blows the waves on the surface of the ocean, the same serenity persists below. The whales and sea turtles swim confidently without fear, and the manatees play together, trusting the water around them to sustain their lives.
Joy for us is like Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. When life threatens to collapse around us from illness, grief, pain, or broken-heartedness, joy is the anchor that steadies and sustains us. Joy cannot be explained or be bought and sold. But those grounded in the eternal God of the entire Cosmos shine with the simple trust that nothing in all creation can extinguish.
Joy is a home for the Holy built on the Rock of Ages, and it is the precious gift of Advent we celebrate today as we light the third candle on our wreath. [Light 3rd candle]
Let us pray:
O Giver of Great Joy, we use these metaphors of things we can see to point toward the Holy mystery we can only glimpse in a mirror dimly. The whole miracle of the your coming in flesh to share our humanity is more than we can begin to understand. We marvel at the meanings revealed to us in the Gospel narratives–how you chose to reveal yourself through common people like an unwed mother, a carpenter, shepherds, and foreign astrologers. It is with those ordinary souls you found a home for the Holy so long ago, and it is through their stories you reveal to us that we can be innkeepers who shelter the strangers today or parents to your sons and daughters right now. During this Advent season help us prepare a place in our own hearts where your Holy Spirit can dwell and bring Joy to your people and to your world. Amen
Northwest UMC, Columbus, Ohio, Advent 2024
Peacefully Harsh 