Uninvited Joy

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

                                                                                                                      —LUKE 1:41-45 (NRSV)

I’ve borrowed categories from my friend Luke Bretherton—who happens to also be a theologian (it’s very helpful to know a few of those). Like what he calls “tragic time”—that experience of time when things come undone and whatever has happened is world-altering. Tragic time feels almost slippery. Like you cannot believe the world is still spinning because yours has stopped. And yet, somehow, experiences of joy can still catch you off guard.

Joy is sneaky in that way. It doesn’t discriminate between tragic time and ordinary time. It’s not a joy we can “choose” because that would often mean ignoring the reality of our heartbreak or circumstances. It just happens. Somehow. Some way. Showing up uninvited even in the most unlikely of situations.

The Gospel of Luke introduces us to Elizabeth who became pregnant after many, many years of infertility, well into her old age. Her husband, Zechariah, even reacted in utter disbelief when the angel foretold the birth of the child they had long-ago given up hope for. When Elizabeth was six months along, she was visited by her beloved cousin, Mary—who too had just learned of her own miraculous pregnancy. Elizabeth’s unborn baby lept with joy at the sound of Mary’s voice. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, rejoiced at the great gift Mary carried. Elizabeth was likely surprised by the visit of her cousin (it is not like she could text when she was on her way) and even more surprised by her showing up unmarried and pregnant. But those circumstances were not the cause of the joy that Elizabeth and her soon-to-be baby boy felt at her arrival. Their reaction was caused by the presence of God, of that new life that was growing inside of Mary—despite the complicated situation that surrounded her pregnancy. Both women were experiencing the seemingly-impossible. They could have both responded in disbelief, in unhope, but instead were filled with the surprising presence of joy.

This story reminds us that joy is not the absence of fear, or disbelief, or uncertainty, or sorrow. In fact, joy exists despite all the reasons why it shouldn’t.

In the week ahead, we will devote ourselves to learning more about how to recognize the gift of joy found in the presence of God. Regardless of what is happening in our lives, joy can and does break in. Joy is the sign and reminder that God is still working, still loving, still fulfilling God’s promises. So let’s put ourselves in the path of joy this week, shall we?

PRACTICING ADVENT TOGETHER

Gather your family together over dinner, invite over some friends, or FaceTime your grandkids.

• Turn down the lights, gather around the Advent wreath, and read the story of Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Mary in Luke chapter 1 aloud. Pay attention to how many times JOY is mentioned.

• Light the three purple candles (but sometimes the joy candle is pink!) and read this blessing from The Lives We Actually Have (p. 218) as a prayer:

Blessed are we who wait with bated breath.
who wait for something new to be born
—for new hope or new joy or new life.

Blessed are we
whose patience grows thinner by the day.
We who are tired of the world as it is
—in all of its heartache and loss and hopelessness.
We who want more.
More hope. More joy. More life.

Blessed are we who sit here,
waiting
at the still point between desire and expectation.
We who are making room for more of you,
oh God, this Christmas.
 

Surprise us with joy in the midst of the mundane,
abundance in the midst of so much scarcity,
presence in the midst of the Christmas chaos.

“May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
                                                             —Romans 15:13 (NIV)

We have quieted our souls to listen,
to wait for you, oh God,
for your Word-Made-Flesh is life to us.
 

Amen.

DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING TOGE THER:

1. Talk about a time when you have felt filled with joy. What were you doing? What did it feel like? Is there any common thread between everyone’s experiences of joy?

2. Have you ever been surprised by the presence of God or a moment of joy or abundance during a particular season of tragic time?

3. How can you be a source of joy to others this week? Could you go caroling to your neighbors? Or could you call some other family members (like the ones we are usually too busy to call)? Could you visit someone in the hospital? Or send a card of love and joy in the mail?