Then you changed my despair into a dance —
you stripped me of my death shroud
and clothed me with joy.
Psalm 30:11
A few times a month, I attend a Taize service at a nearby church on Thursday evenings. It involves singing of chants from Taize, France, a scripture reading, prayer concerns from those present, and silence. It is simple and beautiful. Typically, 6-9 people come. And a few prayer concerns are shared.
This evening, just a few days before Christmas, I didn’t think there would be many people there. But the attendance was more than I expected. Then, in this season of joy and gratitude, I didn’t think that there would be many prayer concerns shared. Wrong again. There were may more than usual. I wondered about this.
Maybe since we are so close to Christmas, so close to celebrating the birth of Jesus, our expectations are heightened. Jesus is the one we associate with transformation, hope, and healing. Christmas is about celebrating that God is with us, offering us love and healing. So maybe we are more bold this time of year to express our need and our hopes and our dreams for ourselves, for the world, and for others.
At the beginning of Psalm 30, the writer tell us, “I praise you, O God, because you raised me up and kept my enemies from gloating over me. I cried to you for help, YHWH, my God, and you healed me. You brought me back from the realm of the dead, YHWH; you spared me from going down into the Pit.” Clearly the writer has seen some pretty dark times, desperate times. Yet at the end of the Psalm, the writer’s grief and fear and despair have turned into joy.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we see that event as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Jesus is the embodiment of all God wants for us. He is an agent of new life and hope, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. Maybe with Christmas so close, our hopes are heightened, and magic of the season emboldens us to expect marvelous things!
So this day, what are your prayer concerns? Who weighs on your heart? What are your needs, the needs of the world, the needs of those close to you? Consider speaking these things out loud, sharing them with a friend or family member, or writing them down. Then, with hope and joy, entrust them to God. Expect to be surprised by the God who transforms despair into a dance, and takes on flesh and blood as a vulnerable newborn in a bed of hay.
Prayer
This season is filled with songs, stories, and movies of magical transformation. These images reflect the great transformation introduced by God through Christ Jesus. Mourning into dancing. A death shroud into clothing of joy. With God, truly anything is possible. May we offer our hopes and dreams to God, this holy season, and expect to be surprised by joy. Amen.
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.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 