The theme for this Advent season at Lakewood United Church of Christ is JOY to the World. Each day during the Advent season, a reflection on a scripture passage related to JOY will be posted. We hope these daily reflections help you to have a joy-filled Advent.
God is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
God will rejoice over you with gladness,
God will renew you in love;
God will exult over you with loud singing
as on a day of festival. Zephaniah 3:17
December 1 is World AIDS Day. While treatment and testing are available, and the disease is not spreading as it was in decades past in the US, AIDS is still wreaking devastation especially in Africa. Given what we have been able to learn about this disease, we could all but prevent its spread. And yet, it continues.
December 1 is also the anniversary of Rosa Parks’ bold stand, or shall we say, sit, on the bus in Montgomery, AL in 1955. She tells of that day:
“When he saw that I was still remaining in the seat, the driver said, ‘If you don’t stand up, I’m going to call the police and have you arrested.’ I said, ‘You may do that.’
“Two policemen came and wanted to know what was the trouble. One said, ‘Why don’t you stand up?’ I said, ‘I don’t think I should have to.’ At that point I asked the policemen, ‘Why do you push us around?’ He said, ‘I don’t know, but the law is the law and you’re under arrest.’” [Quoted in Imaging the Word: An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 1, p, 36]
Next week we will remember Pearl Harbor Day and the terrible suffering and death that came in its wake.
There is so much trouble, suffering, and pain in this world that we as human beings are responsible for. We do harm to ourselves and to others. We devastate the natural world. We kill. We destroy. We oppress. We harm. And we neglect so much good that we could do.
Here is this beautiful world and this glorious life, and it’s hard to fathom, sometimes, how we can make such a mess of things. Yet the words of the prophet ring out and tell of God’s delight in humanity. The images speak of God’s joy in the human community. “God will rejoice over you with gladness. . . God will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” God is joying over humanity!
While we might be tempted to give up on ourselves, God never gives up on us. We are a source of joy to God!
Prayer
May we truly repent for all the harm that we contribute to as individuals, as the church, and as a society. May we accept God’s grace and love which can heal, transform, and reconcile. May we remember that each of us as well as each and every human being is God’s child, and brings joy and delight to God. May we also take joy in ourselves and one another! In the spirit of the one whose birth we prepare to celebrate. Amen.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 