Prayers – Page 16 – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 19

Advent 2011 Daily Devotion 19

Acclaim Yahweh with joy,
all the earth!
Serve Yahweh with gladness!
Enter into God’s presence with a joyful song!

Psalm 100:1-2

The Psalms were originally written as songs and chants to be used in worship. There are many musical references in the Psalms. There is mention of singing. There is also mention of many instruments used in worship including the lyre, the harp of ten strings, tambourine, trumpet, lute, horn, strings, and pipe. It’s a veritable orchestra! There is singing and playing all in joyous praise to God.

As the human species, we are blessed with many musical ways to express joy. We are not limited to vocal sounds alone. We are not limited to words. We also have the ingenuity to create instruments and melodies and harmonies. We have many ways to express joy musically. We experience this each week in worship through the ministry of beautiful music. Music expresses what words alone cannot. What a blessing!

Last evening at church, a group of us listened to recorded music selected by Music Director Hilton Jones, that he feels conveys joy. I must say, I felt more joyful when it was over than when I had arrived. Listening to the music did increase my feeling of joy. Maybe that is why we are surrounded by Christmas carols this time of year. They elicit joy. There are also many concerts this month featuring holiday music. Again, these are moments for us to experience joy.

If you want to feel the joy of the season, try attending a concert featuring Christmas music. Or put a Christmas cd on to play. Sing a Christmas carol in the shower. See how you feel. Does the music make a difference?

And if Christmas music doesn’t move you, try another kind of music that you like and enjoy. Think about what music says JOY for you. Think of some of your favorites – contemporary hits or music of yesteryear. A beautiful concerto or symphony. Some rock or folk. Hip hop or jazz. Rap, anyone? Try adding some music to your day and see if you don’t feel the joy!

Prayer
We are grateful for the gift of music and the way it enriches our lives. We are especially thankful for the music of the church and how it stirs the spirit and soothes the soul. May we experience the joy this season through music. 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 18

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecutions against Paul and Barnabus, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:48-52

The book of Acts tells stories of early Christian communities in the time just after the crucifixion of Jesus. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples travel far and wide spreading stories of their experience with Jesus. New faith communities are being formed throughout the Mediterranean area. Paul was extremely dedicated to this mission and met with great success. He also met with bitter opposition and was put in jail. He understood the hostility since he, himself, had once persecuted those who were followers of Jesus.

In the story above, we hear of how Paul and Barnabas are essentially run out of town, for fear of their lives. Not only out of town, but out of the region. And we are told that they were filled with joy. Joy? When they have met with antagonism and hostility? When they have been forced to flee? We might expect them to be filled with fear. Or with relief that they got away. Or gratitude that they had been spared. But JOY?

I think a message here is that when we are living out our calling, when we are letting God’s will guide our lives, we are joyful. When we are doing what we know we should be doing, when we are where we know we are supposed to be, we experience joy.

Fulfilling God’s design for our lives may put us in difficult situations. We see that above. We also see it in the Christmas stories of the gospels. Mary is in an awkward position. Joseph is told in a dream not to divorce Mary. He is in an uncomfortable position. The Magi, or wise ones, must avoid Herod. Joseph and Mary escape to Egypt. Several of the characters in the Christmas story are in difficult situations of some kind. And yet they are filled with joy at what they are part of.

When we are fulfilling God’s dreams, we experience joy. But following our faith can lead to complications and problems. It may not be all smooth sailing. Maybe we choose ethics over economics, and our bank account suffers. Maybe we spend our “free” time doing volunteer work to help the poor or outcast instead of cruising the golf course. Maybe we are part of an advocacy movement that leads to being audited by the IRS. Maybe we leave home and family to work in a developing country. Maybe we have a police record for being arrested for civil disobedience. There are many ways that we can follow the teachings of the Gospel and suffer negative consequences in the process. After all, faithfulness got Jesus crucified.

This is an opportunity to reflect on your life, and where you find joy. Is it in service to the Gospel? Are you where you feel you need to be in your life? Are you doing what you are called to do? If you feel filled with joy, then you may be right on track! If you aren’t feeling much joy, maybe you need to think about ways to involve yourself in serving others and sharing God’s love. That just may increase your joy.

Prayer
We are grateful for the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are glad for how Jesus shows us God’s love. In a life of service, we find our deepest joy and highest good. In this Advent season, as the wise ones followed the star, may we follow God’s leading and guidance wherever it may take us so that our lives are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 17

I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:11

I started reading a book yesterday given to me by my daughter. It is about a pastor serving a church in the South Bronx in the 1980’s. The circumstances were extremely challenging and the pastor felt ill-prepared. This got me thinking about what it takes to be prepared for ministry. Not just ministry as pastor of a church, but the ministries to which each and every Christian in called. Ministry to friends, neighbors, ministries of advocacy, ministries of witness, ministries with students and strangers, ministries in health care and business. What does it take to be prepared as a Christian for the ministries to which we are called? Of course, it takes faith, and what is evidence of that faith? Joy.

Eighteenth century Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards, commented on discerning true religious experience from false religious experience. As a sign of the authenticity of religious experience, he recommended that we look for joy. [See Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, Nov/Dec 1993, “Good Tidings of Great Joy,” by Doris Donnelly] So true Christianity will be evidenced in joy. Joy is a key characteristic of Christian witness, according to Edwards, and according to Jesus in the Gospel of John.

In the scripture above, the Gospel of John tells us that the intent of Jesus’ ministry and teaching is to share joy, to be infused with joy, to experience joy. This is very interesting. I wonder how many Christians would say when asked about their faith or religion, “I’m a Christian because of the joy.” Or, “Christians believe in joy.” Or, “The point of Christianity is to spread joy in the world.” It’s not that Christians would disagree with these statements, but I don’t think this would be the first thing to come to mind. “Why are you a Christian?” “Because of the joy!” is not a typical conversational exchange.

In the Gospel of John, joy is mentioned seven times. So clearly, joy is important to the gospel writer. The references show us that joy is a central feature of the Christian path. Personally, I think Christianity could do with more joy and less judgment. Take some time to consider, How does your faith bring you joy? How is the joy of Jesus in you? What would a more joyful Christianity look like? How can the church embrace joy to a greater degree? What’s holding us back?

Prayer
Jesus came to bring us joy; to help us see the joy within us and in the world around us. As the light of each day shortens this time of year, may our awareness of the joy of our faith increase. Amen.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 15

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.

Advent 2011 Daily Reflection 14

“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.