Home > Advent Blog 2024
Joy in Love
December 5, 2024
Isaiah 2:12-22 | 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 | Luke 20:27-40
What is the first thing that comes to mind for Advent? Stories of Joseph, Mary, Angels and a newborn king? That is what we are used to, so I had to wonder about these readings. What do they have to do with Advent? What do they have to do with Joseph, Mary, and the birth of Christ? Advent is usually a time to reflect and to look ahead with joyful anticipation to/in Christ’s coming, yet in our world today there is confusion and uncertainty. In our faith community we, too, are undergoing change. Where does it all fit? We tend to think of Joseph and Mary as assured, confident people; but maybe they questioned their faith. Changes.
As I look again at the readings for today, Isaiah calls out God’s people for focusing their living on inconsequential stuff. “Turn away from mortals who have only breath in their nostrils.” All the bits and pieces of Earth, all the “high priority” stuff, all the little “treasures” will be gone and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. Changes.
Paul reaches out to the church in Thessalonica to reassure and encourage them to stand firm in their faith in the uncertainty of the world they lived in. Changes.
Jesus gives us a peek at heaven where earth is no more, neither are the bits and pieces mortals have placed on each other. They simply do not exist in heaven. Changes
Advent? Oh, yes, very much Advent. Humble Joseph and Mary trusted …an angel(!!) who spoke the word of God. They trusted God to provide, to protect, and to lead them through a journey of change. They stood firm in their belief that Jesus was the Son of God, even to the foot of the cross.
In the face of changes that would up-end their lives Joseph and Mary may have shared many of the same questions as we do; “Where do I fit in?”, “Who do I trust?”, “What do I do next?” They trusted God and followed God’s leading.
We are blessed with the knowledge that:
- Even as the world changes, God remains constant
- Even in division and chaos, God loves ALL of us
- God has a plan for us to become holy
We are called by God
- To stand firm in our faith, to trust God to lead us
- To love ALL of God’s creation
- To choose to grow forward in love – to be holy
As our faith deepens, understanding expands; and joy abounds when love grows.
This Advent may we ask questions, stand firm, and like Joseph and Mary, find joy in God’s love.
Cindi Lovejoy
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