It seems appropriate to think of Joy during Advent, esp. on this third Sunday of Advent. This is often called Gaudete Sunday—or Rejoice Sunday. We light the pink candle as a break from the deep and thoughtful preparation we are involved in for the coming of Christ.
The author of this week’s Episcopal Church Advent BibleStudy, the
Rev. Marcea Paul states, “In our minds, joy tends to overlap with happiness.
Happiness is often connected with what is happening to us and around us…When we
are discouraged and afraid, rejoicing in the Lord can be a hard sell. But
the truth is that joy is not usually inspired by happy circumstances. Poet
and author David Whyte writes, 'To feel a full and untrammeled joy is to have
become fully generous; to allow ourselves to be joyful is to have walked
through the doorway of fear.'"
Generosity and Gratitude are two ways to combat the loss of
joy. The Rev. Heather Melton in her UTO newsletter article this month quotes
the work of Brene Brown and her own work as a Daring Way facilitator. Melton
says, “one of the most important lessons I’ve learned through my work on “The
Daring Way”…is to push back against “foreboding joy.” Foreboding joy is…that
moment when you realize that everything is pretty great, but then you come up
with all the ways it could be destroyed. For example, when someone looks at a
new baby with their heart full of joy, in the next second they might start
thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to that baby…when we
interrupt the opportunity to embrace joy, we begin to numb our brain’s ability
to identify and feel feelings. So how do we stop foreboding joy? According
to Brown, we practice gratitude. We [like the Virgin Mary] treasure these
things in our heart.”
The Rev. Marcea Paul continues, “We might think that
focusing our attention on what we long for but do not yet have [in Advent] might
be a cause for discouragement rather than joy. But, perhaps, it is that very
act of watching and waiting and looking for the coming of God that inspires great
joy. The Gospel writer calls John’s exhortation “good news.” And it is,
especially if we believe that we are not worthy of God’s saving grace. Nothing
in our lives is beyond redemption. Knowing and accepting this is reason enough
for rejoicing.”
Paul admits, “This is not easy….it takes intentional
preparation and repentance – which means amending our lives and turning toward
God….Advent is beckoning us to do just that, and it encourages us with a
promise, rather than a threat: the promise of the coming embrace of Christ and
the gift of abundant life that he brings.”
Melton echoes this idea, “Holidays can be bittersweet…Embracing
joy does not mean that we can’t feel sadness or loss, but it means that
gratitude can help us not let one feeling overwhelm the other. We can feel two
feelings at the same time, without either being wrong. Gratitude can
acknowledge that both feelings are true and important. We’ve been trained to
forebode joy, minimize our feelings, and keep our vulnerable hearts safe…Christmas
is a reminder that God is fully invested in us living more authentic lives, and
authenticity requires vulnerability, and vulnerability takes courage and
tenacity. We know this because God showed up as a tiny baby, completely
vulnerable and dependent upon others at time when being a baby was especially
challenging. God reminds us that love is a vulnerable act, as is joy and being
present in the moment.”
Both Paul and Melton equate Joy with being grateful and
generous as well as open, available, aware, and vulnerable to the promise of
the season. I will say that I too often catch myself falling into ‘foreboding
joy’. I can think that if I am too joyful about something that it will be
snatched away. That’s not the way our God works.
Last week we saw that Philippians 4 promises the peace of
God. When we look at the citation again, we note that St. Paul starts by
saying, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice…in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:4-7) We can rejoice that God
hears our prayers, and rejoice that we are never separated from God’s love.
This time of anticipation, waiting, and preparation for the coming of Christ,
both as a Babe in a Manger and at the end of time, gives us plenty of reason to
rejoice and carry joy with us.
If you are guilty of practicing ‘foreboding joy,’ try
replacing it with gratitude and real joy.
What gives you the most Joy in this Advent time?
Next week we'll consider Hope as the way God enters our lives.
