“The most joyful event of the season!” That’s what the glittery gold words on my
screen read. “The most joyful event of
the season.” By season they mean
Christmas season so maybe the most joyful event of the Christmas season might
be the mass or worship service celebrating the birth of Christ. Or maybe it is referring to the actual birth
of Christ- the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the taking on of flesh by God the
creator of the universe, the proclamation of Emmanuel, the coming of the Prince
of Peace, salvation for us all, peace for the world and hope for ages to come …
But actually, the glittery gold words weren’t referring to any of those
things. Turns out, “the most joyful
event of the season” involves Taylor Swift, James Corden and Jennifer Hudson
dressed as cats in the movie based on the famous Broadway musical. “The most joyful event of the season” is
apparently sitting in a theater for two hours watching people dressed as cats
dance and sing. And maybe it is a good
movie, but I feel like we can do better as far as joy goes …
My skepticism continued as I sat in a crowded gymnasium and
watched first graders dressed as Christmas trees sing and dance. It was a lovely little play showcasing the
talents and joy of the children. At the
end all the little Christmas trees learn from Santa Claus what Christmas is
really about. Turns out it’s friendship
and kindness. I clapped and smiled along
with the rest of the audience but inside my head I was saying “really? Is it?”
As far as pop culture holiday lessons go, few hit the nail
on the head as well as the classic Charlie Brown Christmas because it’s
difficult to truly capture the joy of Christmas without mention of Jesus. I get the importance of being sensitive to
all backgrounds and beliefs, but I think the secular messages of “what
Christmas is all about” or “the most joyful event of the season” are really
kind of sad and depressing, even though they may cause a passing nostalgic
smile. If all of the songs, decorations,
anticipation, hopes, desperate cries and preparations are really just for a
moment of feeling good- we walk away with our hearts longing for more. Longing for something that cuts through the
surface, digs deep within us and speaks to our souls.
Isaiah and Matthew have a different idea of “the most
joyful event of the season” … or even “the most joyful event of human
existence.” Isaiah describes the sign
God will send to “weary mortals” and the words echo across the pages of our
Bible and over hundreds of years and then catch the ear of a troubled and
confused man in a dream. “Emmanuel” “God with us” - convinces Joseph to take a
chance on faith. Hundreds of years later
it echoes here in this space. The hope
of all creation, salvation for all of us, an answer to our longing - “Emmanuel
… God with us.”
Theologian Elizabeth Johnson writes, “Christian faith is
grounded on the experience that God who is Spirit, at work in the tragic and
beautiful world to vivify and renew all creatures through the gracious power of
her indwelling, liberating love, is present yet again through the very
particular history of one human being, Jesus of Nazareth. The one who is divine love, gift, and friend
becomes manifest in time a concrete gestalt … According to the witness of
Scripture, Jesus is a genuine Spirit-phenomenon, conceived, inspired, sent,
hovered over, guided and risen from the dead … Through his human history the
Spirit who pervades the universe becomes concretely present in a small bit of
it … In a word, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us … In the circle of life where
Christ’s way is followed, a new possibility of shalom, of redemptive wholeness,
is made experientially available and can be tasted in anticipation, even now,
as the struggle of history goes on.” [1]
Sounds pretty great … I
mean it’s no dancing cats, but … Salvation, joy, peace, redemption, Holy
Spirit dwelling on earth, God in flesh, Emmanuel … that’s where I am placing my hope.
I wonder what all of this meant to Joseph. He had a very important decision to
make. The woman he was engaged to was
pregnant and not by him. That in itself
is cause for heart break, loss of trust and anger, but at the time it also
could mean severe punishment for this young woman he hoped to wed. Shame, disgrace, even punishment by death
were possibilities. It sounds as though
he weighed heavily his options and looked for what he deemed to be the most
reasonable and compassionate option … until an angel showed up in a dream and
reason went out the window. Confusion,
indecision, perhaps agony and grief gave way to faith and enlightenment. That’s not always an easy step to make.
As we have been studying the book of Job in Wednesday night
Bible Study and reflecting on faith in difficult times I have been thinking
about difficult times in my life. There
have been times when confusion, doubts, fear and anxiety filled my mind and my
soul. Times when I have sat with the door
closed and wondered who I am, who God is, how do we cope with the pain of the
world, how do we find assurance when doubt is so strong? I have to say that in those moments of
darkness, wrestling, grief and turmoil I have always known God is near … even
when I don’t know what that means. I
don’t think it’s because I have some super faith or extra wisdom. I just think it’s just practice.
I have been praying over and over again on Sunday mornings,
at bedtime, on walks and everywhere else throughout my life. I have been listening to scriptures read,
sermons preached and the faith stories of others. I have been singing the words of hymns I
don’t always comprehend in the moment. I
have looked at art dedicated to God, stared at scenes depicted in stained
glass, lit candles, hung Christmas lights, witnessed incredible acts of love
and read theology books. Somehow, in all
of that, something got inside. In all of
that practicing, a belief crept deep into my soul and set up camp. And when all seems lost and my stomach churns
and my soul seems unsteady I see the lantern lit and I somehow know “Emmanuel”
God with us, even though I can’t explain it.
I remember a
conversation some years ago with a church member trying to persuade me to put
Christmas carols in the Advent bulletins.
She said “we all know what happens anyway, why wait.” It’s true.
We know the songs we will sing on Tuesday night, the baby that will be
placed in the manger, the familiar scripture that will be read and the order
the candles will be lit. But we keep
telling the story anyway … over and over again.
We wait, we anticipate, we prepare and we hope. And somewhere in that process our hearts are
cracked open to the good news of Emmanuel, God with us. As convincing now as it was when Isaiah said
it and Joseph dreamed it.
Julian of Norwich writes, “For it is God’s will that we
have true delight with him in our salvation, and in it God wants us to be
greatly comforted and strengthened, and so joyfully God wishes our souls to be
occupied with God’s grace. For we are
God’s bliss, because God endlessly delights in us; and so with God’s grace
shall we delight in God. All that God
does for us and has done and will do was never expense or labour to God …
beginning at the sweet Incarnation and lasting until his blessed Resurrection
on Easter morning. So long did the
labour and expense of our redemption last, in which deed God always and
endlessly rejoices.”[2]
I love that image of God sharing in our true delight,
“joyfully occupying our souls.” The most
joyful event of the season, not just for us but for our God longing to be with
us. God with us, joyfully redeeming us,
dwelling in time, setting up camp in our hearts. It’s coming. So let’s practice, let’s prepare, let’s sing
our Advent hymns and flood our hearts with anticipation. Let us raise our hands in hope because Jesus
is coming … and that is a joy that will last longer than a nostalgic memory,
longer than a movie, longer than a twinkling light, it is an eternal joy- Emmanuel- God with us. Amen.
[1] Johnson,
Elizabeth. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. The
Crossroad Publishing Company, 2002. Pp.
150-151.
[2] Colledge,
Edmund and Walsh, James, eds. Julian of Norwich: Showings. Paulist
Pres, 1978. Pp 219. (edited pronouns)
