Prayers – Page 15 – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 24

The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant shall be not more,
and the scoffer shall crease to be;
all those alert to do evil shall be cut off –

Isaiah 29:19-20

I have a colleague who says Jesus and justice go together. She makes it a point to try to use the words “Jesus” and “justice” in the same sentence. She says they belong together.

When we read the scripture verse above from Isaiah, we see another pairing of ‘j’s’ — joy and justice. We are told that the meek, the lowly people of the world, and the neediest people, the poor, are joyful. Why are they joyful? Have they obtained food or status or power? Not exactly. They are joyful because there is no one oppressing them. No one taking advantage of them. No one making victims of them. So they are free to live in a world that is fair and just. So, justice, the end of oppression, is cause for joy.

At Christmas time we often have a desire to express our generosity through gift giving. This typically extends to giving to those who are in need. We do this at church through the Giving Tree for Operation Attack, and the Christmas Eve offering. To have food and clothing and shelter can increase the joy in the lives of others. A poor child getting a toy at Christmas can bring joy.

But Isaiah reminds us that a cause for “fresh” joy is justice. A fair social order where people can word cooperatively to provide for themselves and make a contribution to the good of the whole. This is something we do not yet have in our country. There are people who don’t have access to what is needed to live and work and play. There are people who are taken advantage of and treated with disrespect and contempt. Racial issues, gender, background can all influence access to the full social/economic order. A felony or prison record can prevent full participation in society. There are many factors which limit the ability of people in our country to fully participate and contribute to the well-being of the social order. Isaiah tells us that there is more to joy than just a good meal or a warm bed. Respect and fairness are cause for rejoicing.

As we prepare for the birth of Jesus and the justice he brings, can you think of some ways that things are not fair in your life, in our society, in the world at large? Can you think of people who do not get a fair chance to participate in the common life of our land? Maybe you can think of ways to bring Jesus, justice, and joy together in our world and in our communities, and even in the church! May we experience the “fresh” joy of God’s justice!

Prayer
We don’t like it when things are not fair. We do not like to be taken advantage of. We do not like to see some suffer to feed the greed and appetite for power of the few. We affirm that all people are children of God and deserve to be treated as such. When that happens, there can be joy for everyone, not just some. May we celebrate the joy of God’s justice this season as we await the birth of our Savior, Jesus. 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.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 23

In this we find comfort. In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you.

2 Corinthians 7:13

Clearly there are times when we do not feel joyful. When you go to work, a job you love, and find out that you are being downsized immediately, it is devastating. It is hard to feel joy. When the police knock on the door to inform you that your child has been killed in a car accident, can there be any room for joy? A routine physical reveals an untreatable debilitating illness. Where is the joy? Life can be hard. We face many struggles and heart aches. No one was promised an easy life.

Life was not easy for the apostle Paul to whom the Second Letter to the Corinthians is attributed. Once a persecutor of Christians, he becomes one. And then he is persecuted, imprisoned, and beaten for his beliefs. What he did to others is now done to him. In addition, he traveled widely spreading the gospel and planting churches. Travel itself was difficult and perilous both on land and on sea. And then there were the problems in the churches. Things went wrong. False teachers took over. There was infighting. These fledgling faith communities were a handful and Paul tried to offer them wisdom and guidance, often from far away, without the benefit of phone, fax, email, texting, or Skype!

Paul had a difficult life. He faced many challenging circumstances. There could be many days where he might think, “Where’s the joy?” Yet as we read above, there is rejoicing and joy, because of Titus, their colleague. This brief verse invites us to think about what we might call second-hand joy. Maybe if we are not finding joy in our own lives, we can rejoice in the joy of someone else. Maybe someone we associate with has had good fortune of some kind. Maybe someone we know is joyful about something. Maybe someone we care about is filled with joy. Maybe there is cause for joy at some occurrence in the wider world.

Can you think of sources of joy among your family, friends, in the wider world? Can you see reason for joy, even if not in your own life at this moment?

When we are really down, that is the moment to borrow joy from another, take in some second-hand joy. There is always reason to be joyful somewhere for someone, and when we can’t find it in ourselves, let us seek it from others. This way we can keep joy alive and joy can keep us alive in our darkest hours. Taking joy from another can be our comfort, too, as it was for the writer of Second Corinthians.

Prayer
In these short days and long nights of December, we know how dark life can be. We need joy to light up that darkness. We are grateful that when we don’t seem to be able to generate joy from within ourselves, there are others who are joyful, and we can be sustained by their joy, making it our own. May we have the wisdom to seek the joy we need whatever our life circumstances. There is always joy! Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 22

The moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

Luke 1:44

It is often said that Christmas is for children. The Santa traditions, stockings, flying reindeer all make Christmas a delight for children. Maybe this is because children innately experience joy. They are by nature joyful. Maybe it’s because years of life experience has not made them skeptical and cynical. I don’t know. But it seems that joy is closer to the surface with children.

When our daughter, Angela, was 5, she had to have an operation. We took her to All Children’s Hospital. She was to have the surgery and then recover in the hospital for 5-7 days. As it turned out, she had an infection and so the doctor was unable to perform the surgery. It would have to be postponed at least a month. The whole situation had been very stressful for the parents. We were worried. We were anxious. The idea of waiting and going through this all again was just too much! We were distraught. We waited for Angela to come out of the anesthesia, and then we told her simply that the operation could not be performed today and we would have to come back in a month. She was ecstatic. “You mean we get to go home?” “Yes.” “Now? Today?” “Yes.” She was jubilant. We thought maybe she didn’t understand that we would have to come back. The procedure was being postponed, not cancelled. She still repeated, “But we get to go home now.” “Yes.” That was all she needed to know. She was so happy. Joyful, really. Today we were going home. She was about to head out of the hospital today, not in 5 days. She was thrilled. She would not let anticipation of the future cloud her joy of the moment. She would not let what may or may not be ahead diminish her delight.

Children remind us to take joy in the moment. They can be crying one minute and laughing the next. Right now there is reason for joy, why let the past interfere, or the unknown future. Don’t miss the joy now. Be ready to change your mood or attitude instantly. Expect joy to be lurking just ahead. You never know!

Take a moment to think about how you have seen joy in children lately. The children and youth of our church family are a wonderful source of joy for the entire congregation! That’s a great place to start thinking about how children experience joy.

In the scripture from Luke, the angel Gabriel has visited Mary, and Mary has gone to visit her cousin Elizabeth. When Mary arrives, Elizabeth greets her with great joy. The child within her, who will be John the Baptizer who prepares the way for Jesus, leaps in her womb. The baby expresses joy. And so does Elizabeth and then Mary. It is a beautiful scene filled with the joy of these two expectant mothers and their babies.

The Gospel writer knows the ending of the story: How Jesus will die a humiliating, excruciating death on a cross as a traitor. But the pain ahead does not diminish the joy of the beginning of the story.

As we think of bringing joy to children at Christmas with gifts and holiday traditions, let’s not forget to let children bring joy us, show us the joy of life, and lead us to take delight in the moment. May we be infected by the joy of children and young people this Christmas season and always.

Prayer
Children are a great gift and have much to teach and share. May we care for the children of our families, our communities, and our world, so that they can make their full contribution to the world as children. May we appreciate all they bring and not just see them as workers-in-training to be cogs in the great wheel of economic production. May we, as adults, tend their bodies and spirits, and let them tend our souls. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we work to take care of all children as we would seek to care for Jesus. And may we open ourselves to be infused with their joy! Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 21

What we have seen and heard
we declare to you, so that you may be one with us –
as we are one with Abba God
and with the Only Begotten, Jesus Christ.
We write this to fulfill our joy.

1 John 1:3-4

This is a season for lots of gatherings – family, friends, clubs, co-workers, neighbors, church folks, etc. People getting together to eat, drink, sing carols, exchange gifts, play games, watch movies, etc. We enjoy being together. When we are together, we feel a sense of connectedness and belonging. We are part of a group, something larger than just ourselves. Humans are programmed to be social, not solitary animals.

The writer of the first letter of John talks about sharing the Gospel to create community with others, with God, and with Jesus. The intent is to form relational bonds. They find fellowship united by common commitment and values. And in their case, faced with persecution and hostility, that solidarity is crucial.

The writer implies that creating community with fellow Christians, God, and Christ is to fulfill their joy. They are doing this not out of obligation or duty or loyalty. They are doing it to complete their joy. The insinuation is that joy is not complete without being experienced in community, with others, God, and Christ. So joy is not a solitary affair. Joy is experienced with others, in a relational context.

Some people say, “I’m Christian but I don’t go to church. I can follow Jesus without going to church on Sunday. I live by the ethics and values of the Gospels, but I don’t need a service on Sunday to do that.” Sometimes there are valid reasons, seasons of life, or circumstances that prevent people from being part of a church family. But for those who can be, but choose not to be, I wonder if they can experience the full joy that the writer of 1 John refers to; the joy that comes from communion with God, Christ, and the faith community.

As you look back on your church experience and your faith journey, were there times when you were part of a church, and times you were not? Does that relate to your experience of joy in your faith? Do you think that you experience more joy in your faith when you are part of a loving, supportive faith community? I know for myself, I would not do well as a solitary Christian. For me, growth in faith, in understanding, in deeper discipleship takes place in the context of the relationships with people in the church. I feel closer to God and to Jesus through the faith community. Being part of the church increases and fulfills my joy as a follower of Jesus. How is it for you?

Prayer
This Advent season, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. He brought people together in relationships and formed communities of unconditional love. These communities were formed of people from all walks and stations of life. In the diversity of these communities, people found joy. May we seek to make our faith communities a cause for joy. May our church bring us closer to others, God, and Jesus to fulfill our joy and bring more JOY to the world! Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 20

The heart of the schemer is a bitter heart;
the heart of a peacemaker beats joyfully.

Proverbs 12:20

Today we were greeted by the headline, “WAR ENDS.” It is ostensibly the end of the war in Iraq. This is something to rejoice about. This is a moment to remember all of the soldiers being reunited with their families and spending the holidays out of harm’s way.

As the verse above tells us, peace is cause for joy. Or a joyful heart leads one to work for peace. Either way, joy and peace go together. And we know that is the case for those personally involved in the war in Iraq.

But what about the schemer. The bitter-hearted. This is offered as the contrast to the joyful peacemaker. Are those who contribute to the inciting of war bitter-hearted schemers? I don’t think those who made the decisions initiating the war in Iraq would think so about themselves. They might think those on the Iraqi side are, but not on the US side. Yet ancient wisdom is telling.

The verse above seems to imply two groups of people: the bitter-hearted schemers and the joyful-hearted peacemakers. I’m wondering if there is not some of both in each of us. Just as we each have the potential to be joyful peacemakers, I think we also all have the potential to be bitter schemers. I think we are all a mix, and both impulses come out in different ways depending on the circumstances.

For me, following Jesus is about trying to elicit the joyful peacemaking and trying to subdue the bitter scheming. In the way of Jesus, I see the potential for joy and peace not only for myself, but for all peoples, and for the world. That is why I choose to be a Christian. I also know that I need Christianity to help me subdue the bitter-hearted schemer that lurks just beneath the surface of my relatively cheery personality looking for any opportunity emerge and erupt.

Can you think of times when you have felt like a joyful-hearted peacemaker? Have you seen that side of others? I think of the Dalai Lama. And what about the bitter-hearted schemer? It’s probably easier to start with others. Have you seen that impulse in others? In yourself? The bitter-hearted schemer can even lead us to do harm to ourselves.

For me, the teachings of Jesus give me a way to forgive the bitter-hearted schemer in myself and others, and so invite me to be more of a peacemaker with a joyful heart. Jesus truly does bring JOY to the world!

Prayer
In these days as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, may we truly treasure the joy that peace brings. May that joy be so dear to us that we make the effort, whatever it takes, to subdue the impulses of the bitter-hearted schemer in ourselves, others, our institutions, organizations, and society. May we “repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy,” until the world rings with peace. Amen.