JOY

d365.org   Presence of God  (Amy Butler)
Joy is elusive. Just when we think we have found it, joy can be snatched from us in a single moment. Despair threatens to take its place and we find ourselves searching again for meaning.  In times like these, it is as important as ever to seek the quiet, to wait with anticipation that joy will return. 


SATURDAY, December 22
"Christmas Ever"
Philippians 4:4 (The Message)
 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! 
     Earlier this week, Pastor Katy sent out an email with the subject header, CHRISTMAS EVER SERVICE.  I sent back a reply asking if that was a typo, or was she trying to send a hidden message?  Was God, through Katy's fingers, trying to remind us of something important?
     Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says to 'Rejoice in the Lord, always!' or as Peterson translates, 'Celebrate God all day, every day.'  I have a favorite contemporary Easter song that sings, 'Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on.'  Is every morning Christmas morning also?  Do we daily waken with that sense of excited anticipation for the day's events? Christmas forEVER!   
     As a society we love to begin our Christmas preparations MONTHS ahead of time - the stores call us to decorate and buy as early as September!   Preparations for a celebration, but not often an advent for our hearts as well.  And then?  December 26 dawns and we race to throw out the tree, take down the boughs and wreaths, and toss everything back into boxes so we can GET BACK TO NORMAL!  Doesn't Christmas and Easter need to BE our normal?  Don't we need to celebrate God all day, every day?!  How can we keep the Christmas joy with us clear through until  Easter...and beyond?  Let's not pack up the manger.   Don't put God back in the closet or attic.   God is AMONG us!
     I used this scripture text on Monday of this week.  It was read as part of last night's Longest Night Service.  And today, I find it again on d365.org devotions.  God's reminder in this week of worldwide pain and sorrow  that lasting JOY can be found in God alone?  Perhaps.  God is among us.  Rejoice!  


d365.org BENEDICTION  (Amy Butler)
Move quietly now through your day.
Joy, peace and hope remain.
Seek out the company of friends,
Remind yourself that God is near,
And allow small moments of joy to return
For the healing of your heart.

FRIDAY, December 21  
 "Second Chances"
Zephaniah 3:17-20 (Selections from MSG, GNT, CEB)
The Lord your God is in your midst...
Your God is present among you,
He will create calm with his love;
Happy to have you back, he’ll calm you with his love
    and delight you with his songs.
I have ended the threat of doom
    and taken away your disgrace.
I will deliver the lame;
        I will gather the outcast.
I will turn their shame to honor,
    and all the world will praise them.
 I will bring all of you back,
        at the time when I gather you.
I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering!
 God’s Promise.
   Today I couldn't pick one particular scripture translation which spoke to me the strongest, so  I wrote down my favorite phrases from each!  The above can be considered the CGNM - The Common Good News Message!  

    Regardless of translation, however, it is a message of hope.  The d365 author uses the term 'Second Chance' and since that is also the title of good friend Wyatt Harris' soon-to-be-released book, it resonated with me.  God comes to us in Christ as a second chance to get this 'living with God' life figured out.  God continuously grants us opportunities to come back to the family of faith. God is in our midst. 
    As we gather in the next few days as family to celebrate the birth of this miracle of Second Chances, have we made sure to include Christ in the family reunion?  Will Jesus be included in the family gathering around the Christmas tree, the dinner table?  Where is the manger in our lives?  Tucked away in a dusty corner or prominent under the Christmas tree?  What are we DOING on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to make sure we are acting on God's promise?  I have specific plans of action....which can't be revealed lest I ruin the surprise!  Do you?  


THURSDAY, December 20
"Raise the Rafters!"
Zephaniah 3:14-15 (Mixed translations)
So sing, Daughter Zion!
    Raise the rafters, Israel!
Daughter Jerusalem,
    be happy! celebrate!
God has reversed his judgments against you
    and sent your enemies off chasing their tails.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
there is no reason now to be afraid.
The King is coming

To live in our midst
To be one with us
To be among us. 
Our family,
Our neighbors,
Our faith community,
Our town and all the surrounding countryside,
Multiplied region by region
Around the world. 
Emmanuel is coming. 
God with us.
God IN us. 
Say hello to God today. 
Shake hands with God. 
Serve God. 
Fear not! The angels say,
Fear not!
God AMONG us! 
Rejoice!  



WEDNESDAY, December 19
'Proclaim the Good News!"
Isaiah 12:3, 5-6  (Good News Translation)
As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty,
    so God's people rejoice when he saves them.”...
Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done.
    Let the whole world hear the news.
⁶ Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!
    Israel's holy God is great,
    and he lives among his people.”

Yesterday our family finally finished a wooden
creche to put on the front porch to proclaim to all
the Christmas message!

Christmas parties & programs,
Concerts & holiday tunes,
Shopping & then shipping,
Making gifts & baking holiday favorites,
Wrapping & stacking presents under the tree,
Addressing & stamping our cards for all. 
It is advent!  We are preparing!
We are exhausted!
We are filled with joyful anticipation! 
But in all the activity, the flurry
  of this and that,
Have we taken the time to proclaim,
Have we taken opportunities to share,
The difference this advent makes?
The different life this baby brings to our world?
Jesus is coming again to live among us!
Alleluia!  Shout with joy! 
Let the whole world hear! 




TUESDAY, December 18  "Out of Darkness"
Isaiah 9:2-3a,6  (The Message)
The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light.
For those who lived in a land of deep shadows—
    light! sunbursts of light!
You repopulated the nation,
    you expanded its joy....
For a child has been born—for us!
    the gift of a son—for us!
He’ll take over
    the running of the world.
His names will be: Amazing Counselor,
    Strong God,
Eternal Father,
    Prince of Wholeness.
All over our world
People huddle in darkness,
Despair, sorrow, lament.
Shadows of evil lurk
In the corners of our lives. 
The joy that comes with
the morning sunrise,
With the return of light,
Is coming again. 
At times it appears just a pinprick. 
We struggle to see in the dimness
Of its faint illumination. 
But with each act of kindness,
Each moment of service,
Every deed of compassion
  and selflessness,
The light grows brighter.
A child is coming to rekindle the flame
Christmas-light approaches to 
  restore our hearts,
And bring us out of darkness
  to the Joy of God. 


d365.org BENEDICTION  (Amy Butler)
Move quietly now through your day.
Joy, peace and hope remain.
Seek out the company of friends,
Remind yourself that God is near,
And allow small moments of joy to return
For the healing of your heart.


MONDAY, December 17
Philippians 4:4-7  (Good News Translation)

May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice!

 Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. 

     It is hard to think of rejoicing in the face of current events within the world - from the massacre in  Connecticut, to strife in the Middle East and Afghanistan, to famine, civil war, and epidemics in Africa.  Where do we find the desire to rejoice?  With so much tragedy and sorrow, where is joy?
     God did not cause recent events to happen.  But God is at work in and through the actions, both good and evil, that humanity enacts.  Our job as Advent people is to promote the peace, lift up the hope, and be filled with the joy of the coming Savior; to live in defiant expectation of our Messiah, even in the face of sorrow and tragedy.   Our job is to seek out the moments of joy; to BE joy for others, to promote the joy within us through Christ.  
     Come, Lord Jesus.  Restore our world.  Restore our hearts.

SUNDAY, December 16
Isaiah 35:1-7 (The Message)

Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, 

the badlands will celebrate and flower—
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom,
    a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift.
    Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts.
God’s resplendent glory, fully on display.
    God awesome, God majestic

Energize the limp hands,

  strengthen the rubbery knees. 

Tell fearful souls, "Courage! Take heart!

God is here, right here, on his way to put things right.

And redress all wrongs.  He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”

Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, 

Lame men and women will leap like deer,

  the voiceless break into song. 

Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, 

  streams flow in the desert. 

Hot sands will become a cool oasis, 

  thirsty ground a slpashing fountain. 

Even lowly jackals will have water to drink, 

  and barren grasslands flourish richly.  

Peace. Hope. Joy. 
Coming to a land struggling to thrive. 
Coming to a desert of parched and thirsty people. 
Coming to our world. 
Once again. 
We are thirsty, God. 
We are hungry for you. 
We are searching for
The waters of life.
To wash over and through us. 
We are seeking the life
of peace, hope, and joy,
Promised in Isaiah
For the deserts of our souls. 

d365.org BENEDICTION  (Amy Butler)

Move quietly now through your day.
Joy, peace and hope remain.
Seek out the company of friends,
Remind yourself that God is near,
And allow small moments of joy to return
For the healing of your heart.