A Reflection on Joy in the Advent Season
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
This past Friday, I hosted my youngest son’s eleventh birthday. He wanted a slumber party, so we invited six of his friends over for a sleepover and party in our basement. The boys watched movies, ate popcorn, played games, and took turns wrestling with a huge stuffed dinosaur that my kids had been given by a church member some years ago. We turned off all of the lights and lit the candles on the cake and sang Happy Birthday. Eventually, the boys went to bed.
But, in the wee hours of the morning, one of the boys, who had rarely spent the night away from home, became frightened at the unfamiliar surroundings. He called his mom, and she came to get him, arriving at my house at 2:34 a.m.
She came because she was mighty to save; because she loved him, and because she delighted in him. She sought nothing more than to quiet him with her love. I would have done the same. And that night I answered my door with a smile, gathered her child and his belongings, and sent him on his way. And I went back to bed reflecting on the love and joy a mother has for her child.
Yesterday was the Third Sunday of Advent, and many of us reflected on joy—the joy that we find in God and in our lives. But, how often do we reflect on the joy God finds in us? We are sometimes so aware of our imperfections. We are too fat or too skinny, too short or too tall. We criticize ourselves for our fears, our insecurities, for our many human failings. We wring our hands over all that goes wrong in our lives, in our church, and in the world.
Yet, our passage in Zephaniah reminds us that despite all of this, God takes delight in each of us. God rejoices over us with singing. God’s is present with us and acts on our behalf because God loves us. And this should give us reason for rejoicing. As that well-known passage in Philippians reminds us and indeed commands us:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 2-2
This is a commandment and promise that is grounded in God’s attitude toward us. We can rejoice in God, because God rejoices in us. We can put away anxiety and know that our prayers are heard, because God delights in us. We can have God’s peace which transcends our circumstances, because God loves us and rejoices over us with singing.
My son’s birthday party was not a burden. It was a delight. I enjoyed every bit of preparation and every task, even getting up early on Saturday morning to make Oreo Cookie pancakes for the boys for breakfast. I enjoyed this so much because I delight in my children. And, I can only imagine that the great delight that I find in my children is but a dim reflection of the delight God finds in us.
May the joy of the Lord be with you all this Advent and Christmas Season!
Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai
December 17, 2018
Originally published at umc.org. The version above has been updated.