Advent Day 15, December 15, 2024
For those who incorporate an Advent wreath into their Advent traditions, today is the day to light the pink candle, the Joy Candle. Known by its Latin term, Gaudete Sunday, this third Joyful Sunday in Advent reminds us that we are almost “there,” that the waiting for the Christ-Light to appear is imminent. “Gaudete” means “rejoice,” and the focus this Sunday changes from “the Lord is coming” to “the Lord is near.”
While many consider the Bible to be a boring tome of gloom, doom, wrath, and judgment, the scriptures are actually filled with messages of joy. Here is just a tiny sample from the Whitman’s Box of Joy:
John 15:11: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Nehemiah 8:10: “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Psalm 16:11: You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Galatians 5: 22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Psalm 30:11: “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.”
Psalm 96:12: “Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy.”
Luke 2:10: “But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.’”
In times of waiting and darkness, though, joy can be impossible to experience or even to notice. Yet, as the poet Mary Oliver reminds us, joy is present, contagious, meant to be felt, embrace, and shared:
Don’t Hesitate
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.
Mary Oliver
In the coming days, weeks, and months ahead, “Don’t be afraid of its plenty.”
Joyfully ~ Rosemary
Spirit Reflections 