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Embrace those circumstances you can’t control;
for who can correct what God makes crooked?

Be full of joy in times of prosperity;
in bad times consider this:
one is the work of God; the other is too —
and because of this, no one can discover the future.

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

If we were to have full control in designing our lives, I don’t think we would put much heartache into the script. I don’t think we would plan hardship, illness, tragedy, or trouble for ourselves. Wouldn’t we plot a life of pure happiness and prosperity? What might that look like for you?

And yet, when you think about it, we often learn the most from our difficult experiences, from our challenges, and from our problems. We learn about ourselves, human nature, others, God, faith, and trust particularly from those life experiences we would probably never choose for ourselves. Can you think of something difficult that you have faced and how you have learned from it? Was there a Christmas past that is shadowed in bad memories? Maybe there are many such experiences for you to look back on and hopefully appreciate given the passage of time. Good times and hard times are both simply part of the fabric of life, and when you think about it, we are the richer for it.

Bad times and good times also provide contrast in life. If everything went well, if everything we did was successful, if we never hit a bump in the road, we could loose our appreciation for the good times, the blessings, the smooth sailing when it comes. So we want to remember that adversity and prosperity give us contrast and deeper appreciation for the scope of life’s journey.

Accepting that hard times and good times are ahead, we position ourselves for both and take what comes with faith and trust. We can’t control everything, so a spirit of acceptance contributes to our making it through the rough patches. As life goes on, we can look back at our good times and bad, and face the future with faith and joy which diminish fear.

To appreciate the joy of this life, we need to expect prosperity and adversity and learn from both.

Prayer
Sometimes we want our lives to be all sunshine and rainbows. But storms come crashing in. Even Jesus faced many challenges in his life, which eventually led to his death. But he did not pray for an easy life. He prayed for God’s will to be done. May that be our prayer as well. May we keep our focus on the joy of life, even appreciating the knowledge and growth that come with hardship. 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.

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.

“Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, doesn’t leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and search for the lost one until it’s found? And finding it, you put the sheep on your shoulders in jubilation. Once home, you invite friends and neighbors in and say to them, ‘Rejoice with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.
“What householder, who has ten silver pieces and loses one, doesn’t light a lamp and sweep the house in a diligent search until she finds what she had lost? And when it is found, the householder calls in her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me! I’ve found the silver piece I lost!’ I tell you, there will be the same kind of joy before the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”
Luke 15:4-10

When we think of someone who is happy, who has a good life, maybe we are thinking about someone who has not screwed her/his life up. We may think of people who have done things right. People who have not had a lot of big problems or heart ache or trouble. If this were the prerequisite for joy, we could hardly sing, “Joy to the world” with much gusto because, truly, most people, most of us, have faced hardship and problems in life, largely of our own making.

Centuries ago, in the church Advent was referred to as the “little Lent.” Lent is the season of 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays. It is a somber season of repentance – returning to God. Advent, the season beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas and lasting four weeks was also a time of repentance. It was a time to spiritually cleanse and prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It was also a somber, reflective time.

These days, we don’t put as much stress on repentance in Advent. We think more about watching and waiting and paying attention so that we appreciate the gift we are given at Christmas. But the stories above tell us that repentance and joy go together. Having made a mistake, taken the wrong path, having strayed from God, having drifted from the values of the Gospel, these things do not prevent joy. Our wrongs do not permanently deprive us of joy. In fact, coming around, finding our way back, making things right, this is the source of the greatest joy we can know.

It can be easy to fall into groveling in a sense of unworthiness, despair, and self-pity. Maybe you can think of a time you have felt that way. But Advent is a season of JOY. And repenting, turning in a new direction, pursuing reconciliation may be the greatest joy we can know.

To bring more joy to yourself, to God, and to the world, may take some repenting. Do not be afraid. Greater joy awaits! Take some time to think about how you may more closely align your life with the way of Jesus Christ. Can you make a commitment to pursuing transformation and change in your life? Ultimately, this kind of repentance will result in greater joy.

Prayer
We pray for the openness to admit our wrongs, our failings, our mistakes, and our weakness. May our vulnerability and honesty lead to the healing of our souls. May we not be afraid to repent, for with repentance comes great 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.

Then Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe, along with the Levites, instructed the people, saying to all of them, “This day is holy to the Most High, your God. Do not mourn. Do not weep” – for the people all had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah continued, “Go now and enjoy rich food and sweet wine, and be certain that you send a share to those who cannot provide for themselves, for this day is holy to Yahweh. Let no one be sad, for Yahweh’s joy is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:9-10

This scripture passage is part of the story of the restoration of the Temple and the restoration of the relationship between the Jewish people and God. In the process of restoring the physical structure of the Temple, now used to worship many gods, not just Yahweh, the scroll of the Law is found. This scroll contains the essential writings of the Jewish religion, the Torah. When the scroll is found, it is read out loud, and the people hear how far they have strayed for God’s way. They are devastated. This is the reason for the references to weeping and mourning. Now that they are aware of their betrayal, they repent and recommit themselves to their relationship with their God, Yahweh.

In this context, we see the phrase, “for Yahweh’s joy is your strength.” One way to look at this is that God’s joy gives the people strength. They do not need to be strong by themselves. They can count on God for strength. They do not have to face the restoration of the Temple, of their life as a community, and of their relationship with God, on their own. They can count on God for the strength they need to make this transition and transformation. God’s joy at their discovery and recommitment will empower the people to follow through and make things right.

When we look at it this way, we see that the joy of God strengthens us, motivates us, helps us. When we do the right thing, even belatedly and in difficult circumstances that we have created, God is joyful and that joy gives us the strength to carry on.

We can also see these words, “for Yahweh’s joy is your strength” from another perspective. We can also infer that the strength of the people is making Yahweh joyful. The people’s strength is the source of God’s joy. God is joyful because the people are exhibiting strength. They have found the scroll and are taking matters in hand and trying to set things right. This brings joy to God. They could have found the scroll and thrown it out without reading it. It could have been kept classified by the leaders who then let things go on as they were, not wanting to admit wrong (sound familiar?). They could have found the scroll, looked at it, and then decided to ignore it and go on as they were. But instead, the scroll is shared and the leaders and people ask for forgiveness, repent, and seek to redeem themselves. This choice shows strength of character and security. It does not evidence undo pride or arrogance. It conveys humility and sincerity. It is a response of strength. So the writer can declare, “Yahweh’s joy is your strength.”

I don’t know enough Hebrew to know if these two views have validity in the original language, but from the way the verses have been translated and passed on in English, I think we can see these two different perspectives. On reflection, I don’t see one as right and one as wrong. I think they both have validity. There is a mutuality to the two views together. Our strength of character, our choosing the higher moral ground, our redeeming ourselves in the wake of the problems we have created, this brings joy to God. We can influence and impact the joy of God with our strength.

I also like the idea that God’s joy, God’s delight, can give us strength and enable us to make the right choices. When we align ourselves with God’s joy, we have the power to do what we need to to be in right relationship with ourselves, one another, and God, however conceived and defined.

We can look at this as God’s joy giving us strength, and our strength giving God joy. Both/and. I like this mutuality and interdependence. And I like the idea of associating joy and strength. I think we can let the concept of joy devolve into sentimental sweet feelings, and miss the strength, tenacity, and power involved. Take a moment to think about how you exhibit strength in your life, or how you see strength in the people or circumstances around you. Do you see joy there, too? Think about where you see joy, and notice if there is strength there, too?

Prayer
In this season of JOY to the world, may we see how joy and strength intertwine. May we notice our ability to foment joy and to promote strength. May we celebrate the strength and joy that we experience in the living of these precious days. Amen.