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Will We Ever Find Joy?

The weekly devotion I have been using this Advent seasons ends with this blessing each week:
May God bless us with mornings when we find (hope, peace, joy) in aligning our ideas with God's ideas.
May God bless us with noon times when we find (hope, peace, joy) in aligning our work with God's work.
May God bless us with evenings when we find (hope, peace, joy) in reflecting and giving thanks to God.
You can find more information about this devotion here (thanks for this great resource!)
 
As I reread this week’s meditation again this morning I can't help but find tears in my eyes. 
The scripture for this week’s meditation time came from Isaiah 35:1-10. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad…” 

As I read this same scripture again this morning my heart is aching for those who are in a dry land with no hope. War torn countries, broken families with no chance of reconciliation, nations devastated by famine and illness at epidemic levels, just to name a few. In these places it is difficult to see the promises of Advent. The coming of a child, who will bring hope to the hopeless, peace to the oppressed, and joy to the distressed. In a world broken and fragmented by hatred and hostility; blinded by greed and power we grasp for even a glimpse of the promise this child might offer. We mask our fear by doing "Christmas stuff", turning off the news and turning on a Holiday Classic, making gingerbread houses and giving money to local charities. All the while the broken world screaming for hope, crying for peace, shouting for joy spins on further out of control. 

This is past Sunday was the Sunday of Joy in the season of Advent and for me it felt anything but "joyful". Worship was lovely we sang hymns of joy, we lit the joy candle, I think I offered a word about being people of God's joy in my sermon. We shared in communion and a fellowship meal. But at the end of the day joy was not what I was feeling.  Hope and peace weren't really in the running either and as I read the text from Isaiah one more time, I realized while I see the dry land coming into blossom in my little corner of the church world it isn't happening everywhere. As I urge my congregation to think further outside the walls of our building, I know we will struggle with how we live the gospel when questions like these:
Where is the joy in innocent people being killed by their government? 
Where is the joy in children not having enough when grown adults have far more than they need? 
Where is the joy when families are ripped a part by a system that is stacked against them? 

We will struggle with how to live the gospel as long as there are questions like this in our world. 
  
In a world that so needs to hear and proclaim a gospel of hope, peace, and joy but isn’t because of being too preoccupied in our own little worlds (I’m guilty of this myself). 
We are so preoccupied with finding the perfect gifts or making sure the tree looks just right or getting all the baking done. We are more concerned about who will be upset if they don’t get a Christmas greeting in the mail from us or who will hold a grudge if their plate of cookies is a little smaller this year because the budget is tight. In the scheme of things, the “problems” that concern us this time of year pale in comparison to problems around the world.

In the midst of portraying an Advent season full of Joy and preparing for the coming Christ Child, my heartaches for a world that stands in contrast to everything this season should offer. 

I have no answer to any of the questions posed here. 

My only hope as this Advent season continues is that we will get out of our own way so that the Christ Child may fully enter our lives. 
That we might be transformed into people of hope, peace, joy and love. 
That we might learn how to do better, be better, live better, love better; in the name of the One who calls us to follow him.
 
May God bless us with mornings when we find (hope, peace, joy) in aligning our ideas with God's ideas.
May God bless us with noon times when we find (hope, peace, joy) in aligning our work with God's work.
May God bless us with evenings when we find (hope, peace, joy) in reflecting and giving thanks to God.

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