By Brother Guy Ames
One of the most treasured of the Advent Gospel readings is the Magnificat, (Luke 1: 46-55) which is Latin for the first words Mary speaks upon being greeted by her cousin Elizabeth. “My soul magnifies the Lord” begins her Song of Joy upon hearing cousin Elizabeth declare, “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Can you imagine the sheer joy both Mary and Elizabeth shared? So, we light the third Advent candle reminding ourselves of the “sheer joy” of Jesus’ birth.
Taking hold of joy remains one of the Bible’s great themes, particularly in both the psalms and prophets. The prophet Isaiah declared “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!” The Psalms often keep that joyous overtone when even describing serious difficulties leading to a declaration of praise and joy. In the same way we LOVE the Christmas hymn, “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come!”
So it is with us at Christmas time: we declare that regardless of the state of our world we believe that God has come in the flesh to live among us! That’s reason enough for a celebration. God has not forgotten his promise, nor forgotten us. This Joy is grounded in our conviction that God has come in the form of a baby and that child became the One sacrificed for us and for our salvation and raised again from the dead.
Through Jesus’ birth our joy has a future component. We don’t merely rejoice because of what has happened but our joy looks forward to what is yet to come. For that reason, many churches not only recall Jesus’ birth during Advent (from the Latin for arrival or coming) but also points us to Christ’s promised return. We approach Christmas with both thanksgiving and anticipation, much like young children who anticipate the coming of Christmas. For them, the entirety of the Christmas season, from Thanksgiving break till the start of a New Year is reason enough for joy, but anticipating Christmas day and the gifts left by Santa are better still.
For those of us who know the delights of following Jesus we acknowledge the challenges, disappointments and griefs of this life, but anticipate with joy the promise of the resurrection. I remember as a 12-year-old standing round the bedside of my preacher grandfather as he awaited the end of his life. Papaw had served faithfully as a Christian and Methodist pastor for over 40 years. He retired to care for his ailing wife only to discover within the year his acute leukemia diagnosis. Our family made one last trip to Arkansas to spend some time with my father’s family and to see Papaw one last time. As we prepared to leave he called us to his bedroom where he lay propped up on pillows. The large, muscular man I had known was already receding in size, but the strength of faith and personality remained strong. He held court that summer afternoon as he reminded us Jesus’ promises, and that we need not worry for him for God had the best yet to come. Then he led us in prayer. I can still picture that moment. In spite of our sadness a peace held us as we looked on the radiant joyful face of one who faced death, with genuine anticipation and joy. Years later, one older Christian who had been in one of my grandfather’s churches many years earlier, recalled a near-death moment, when post-surgical stitches broke and he was rushed into surgery. He recalled seeing first a bright light and then was brought to a beautiful meadow sloping down to a tranquil brook. On the other side, smiling and waving and coming toward him was my grandfather. He looked young and vigorous as he had known him during his younger years. Then, as he reached his side of the brook Papaw waved goodbye and started back the way he had come. That moment he awoke in the recovery unit. As I heard that story, I remembered the joyous anticipation on Papaw’s face as he spoke of his new life to come.
Advent reminds us that Christ has come, Christ has risen and that Christ will come again! That’s reason for Joy. This Christmas let’s take time to remind ourselves that the best is yet to come. Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus, Come!
