To me, joy is such a part of the Christmas season.
Not just the gifts or the traditions or the food or even the loved ones to celebrate with...
It's a time that we focus attention on what is always true; we are each loved by an incomprehensible Being, to an unfathomable degree.
What's the opposite of Lovecraftian/cosmic horror?
Maybe it's wonder. Encountering the vast and unknown, and emerging better for it. Eyes wide open to take in the goodness in the world. And, speaking from grueling, painful experience... there is joy here. There is goodness in the world to be celebrated. All the way from a dog's wagging tail or a cat's sleepy stretch, to a foggy sunrise, to the very act of God Themself becoming a painfully fragile and sweet baby.
These are things to gawk over. Things that strip away our facade of dignity in the best possible ways.
There is wonder in this world, if we have the strength to look for it.
Sometimes we don't. But in this season where (hopefully) the people around us are also feeling the "Christmas spirit", may we all help each other to recognize the good and the beautiful and the wondrous.
Anyway, that was all intro, haha.
The second of the Advent devotionals I wrote for church, came out yesterday. 😊 It's about joy. It's a little rushed and squished together. I wrote it last-minute, amidst a very intense family emergency. I also struggled to fit my thoughts into the the word count. 😅
But I offer it to you anyway.
There's a podcast version on Spotify, or you can keep scrolling on this post to read it, if you prefer that method.
The Wonder of Joy
Receiving presents has never been the biggest highlight of Christmas for me. As a child, I definitely loved the excitement of whatever could be hidden in a brightly-colored package, but there's something just deliciously exciting about all the effort that goes into giving something. The time spent picking just the right thing, or the investment of making something meaningful.
When my family opens presents, we go around in a circle. Whoever is taking their turn doesn't receive a gift, they choose one to give. And all the planning and excitement builds into the bated breath of that one moment.
Because we're all caught up in the excitement together, the response is always worth it. Everyone comments on what a great choice the gift was, while the recipient displays it proudly.
It's lovely to know that you chose something meaningful to show care for someone you love. But there's something to be said about the moment right before the wrapping is pulled back. That feeling of vulnerability and excitement and love that all wraps up into a wondrous bundle called joy.
I wonder if that's how God felt a couple thousand years ago. He had spent so long preparing to give the most precious and meaningful gift available to Him, and here was the moment that it was about to be unveiled. Was God excited to give us something so precious? Was He nervous about making His Gift vulnerable to the rejection of so many? I don't know how God felt, but I do know that the angels rejoiced and the shepherds were in awe, and that God was behind it all.
Sometimes a small gift holds so much meaning and depth that it brings out a bigger reaction than you'd expect. But those are the most precious gifts of all.
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