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But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
https://my.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.2.10
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Sorry and Sorrow
[Jesus] took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. —Mark 14:33–35 As I mentioned previously, we don’t often think of the stories of Jesus’ adult life and ministry as we prepare to celebrate his arrival—and we certainly don’t consider moments like this one: Jesus filled with anguish and pressed to what seems like an emotional breaking point—Jesus at his lowest. That scene doesn’t lend itself to greeting cards, ornaments, or Christmas hymns, but it probably should. I think we need to remind ourselves not only of Jesus’ humanity but also of the very real depths he would go to after arriving. He would end up desperately fearful in prayer. He would find himself deeply grieving the loss of his friend Lazarus. He would be enraged enough to flip the tables of the temple vendors. He would be exasperated with his hardheaded students. This morning I started typing the word “sorrow,” and before I could finish, my computer changed it to “sorry.” I know computers don’t have religious biases, but as a lifelong Christian, I think that sounds about right. We often feel like we need to apologize for (or at the very least conceal) our lowest points, our deepest anguish, our most human moments—as if such abrasive things are inappropriate or unwelcome, as if they somehow need to wait outside while we pretend that all is merry and bright within and around us. I love seeing Jesus at his lowest, and to hold such moments in my heart this season, because it reminds me to make room for my sadness and my grief. Christmas is as much the valley as the mountaintop. It is the wedding celebration and it is the funeral procession. It is a joyous, expectant birth, but it’s also feeling troubled to the point of death. You get to have all of it. Today, sit with the full breadth of your story—and don’t be sorry for your sorrow. Printed with permission from Pavlovitz, John. Low: An Honest Advent Devotional (pp. 22-23). Chalice Press. Too Good to Be True?
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” —Luke 2:10 I tend to be skeptical of late-night infomercials. I know they’re trying to sell me something, and it makes the lofty claims their enthusiastic (and somehow always Australian) spokespeople deliver pretty tough to swallow. They usually promise far more in matters of internal transformation and emotional well-being than a simple toaster oven or garden hose should be able to deliver—and most of the time I see right through them, because I know that I’ll be disappointed if I fall for it. Of course, there are those occasions when the sales pitch is perfectly presented and hits me at just the right time (usually when I’m hungry or bored or open to suggestion) and I make a purchase. Four to six weeks later when the product arrives, I’m usually disappointed. Good news. Great Joy. All people. Those are the unbelievable claims of the angels to the shepherds about what one coming child will bring with him. It sounds like a pretty lofty list of features for one nondescript baby born in a feeding trough to make good on—and the shepherds would have been justified in making a hard pass. Perhaps the fact that they too witnessed this spectacular sales pitch at night explains their immediate enthusiasm. Whatever the reason, the shepherds were all in and soon became passionate pitchmen themselves. Two thousand years after this first angelic infomercial, we who seek to perpetuate Jesus here have to wrestle with the reality that the people of Jesus have not always been good news or great joy to all people. We have to decide if those failures are overpromises or just user error. Is our faith tradition able to be all we hope it will be? Can we deliver on the promises made by the angels? Can we supply the world with something that—surprisingly—isn’t too good to be true? So many people in vulnerable communities are rightly skeptical that such beauty exists in this story because of the ugliness Christians have shown them, and because of the injustices and cruelties they experience. Today, look for direct, tangible, and close ways to bring news that is good, and joy that is great, to all people in your path. Printed with permission from Pavlovitz, John. Low: An Honest Advent Devotional (pp. 14-15). Chalice Press. Friday
'When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ' John 15:10-11 Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!
Nehemiah 8:10 Do you ever have to fight for your joy? Do you ever have to dig deep to really have the joy that people talk about? What does this joy really mean? In this verse, Ezra is talking to the people of Israel who came to restore the temple. They spent some time in sadness and tears, discouraged by the time they’d wasted as a people in running from God - Ezra told them to stop crying and leave their sadness behind. What matters is now. You have chosen to serve Him now. Your joy should come from this and knowing you are on the right path. So, when you begin to feel discouraged, know that God wants us to share in His joy. Ask Him to give it to you. Seek the joy in your day. Do not lament over what has happened in the past. **Originally published October 2020 Meghan For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured. —DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return. Proverbs 11:25 Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I’ll tell you what I’d do. I’d go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods, and I’d look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I’d just feel a prayer. —L. M. MONTGOMERY, Anne of Green Gables
Do you pray? I don’t mean just saying the Lord’s Prayer, or while in church, but this: Do you pray while driving...or when you want to gossip….or want to tell someone off because they are just being unkind? Do you pray for Him to stop you? Do you pray when in pain….or worse, when someone you love is in pain? Do you pray when you’re grateful? I find myself having a conversation with God pretty frequently. I tell Him how I feel inadequate in a situation...or I wish I’d handled something better. I tell Him when I’m honored to be a part of something that is so much bigger than me. I look at Him as my friend and the one who wants the best for me. My prayers are not eloquent or formal, but they are real. God wants to hear every detail of our lives. He knows it, but He wants us to want to share it with HIM. No detail is too small for His care. God has made it so that we can approach His throne every minute of every day. I read this week that our prayers can turn porches into cathedrals. That was so powerful to me. May you meet God in your living room, on the road, or on your porch today. Just say “Hi” and the conversation has started. Meghan Do you have things that you aspire to? What things do you struggle with, knowing that they are meant for you?
The word that keeps resonating within my spirit is ‘authority’. I could not really grasp why this was. I was in a leadership position in the church and was a natural leader most of my life, but it was always a double-edged sword for me. My nature was often something I would find myself backing away from. I never wanted to be considered “bossy”, so I would find myself falling into step with my nature, only to then pull back so I would not be pushy. 2020 was the year God began to change that for me. Every time I would find the urge to back off, I would be reminded by that still, small voice that the Holy Spirit uses that I am meant to use the Authority that God gave me. He will hold me accountable if I begin to let that leadership role go to my head. My job is to let God use me and the things He has given me. So, I ask as this year comes to an end: What is your word? What does God keep bringing to your sights that He tends to keep bringing back up? Spend some time seeking this - God will give you a word or a theme that He wants to cultivate in you. When you know this word, share it with others. Even if you only let me know, I can then stand with you in prayer that God will be faithful to bring this to fruition (Here’s a secret: He always does, when we are willing) Meghan |
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