Today the candle of Joy was lit. It’s the 3rd Sunday of Advent and Christmas is creeping closer. Are you frantic or are you joyful?
Hard to believe that Christmas is just over a week away. The pace gets crazier, the list doesn’t get any shorter and do we stop to soak in the joy?
Today, singing carols tucked in among my church family, there was Joy. Singing about the upcoming celebration of the birth of Emmanuel brought Joy. The familiar songs, the laughter and greetings, yes, there was Joy there. But there was sorrow today, too, as we shared in the ugly diagnosis of one of our members.
We also attended our community Christmas Potluck tonight, too. It’s a yearly event and one we look forward to each year. And tonight, we shared in the joy of a new arrival in our community, Sweet Izzy, born on Tuesday.
See, when we align ourselves with others, whether a church community or a local community, you silently agree to share in the joys and sorrows. An extra hug for the new widow, the promise of a visit to hold the newest member, the shed tears over the fear of cancer. That’s the thing – those are all things we share together, whether it is our burden, our joy, or that of our neighbour, we share it.
Sharing comes easily to some, and some it is harder. I’m a sharer, but I’ll guess you knew that. That is one of the things this blog has allowed me to do, is to share with you. And I hope you see my light. I hope that through all of these posts about this, that and the other thing, that I somehow bring a little bit of sparkle to your day. That’s my goal. But know that the light you might see, it isn’t my light. It is the light of knowing I am loved, that I have Hope and that I have Joy. This is the light that will shine on Christmas morning from a manger in a lowly stable. It is the hard-earned light that shone from a lowly wooden cross. It is the light of a heart anchored to the one who holds us through life’s storms.
Through the Joy I found today, there were tears shed in sorrow and tears shed in Joy. When my girls ask me why I was crying, it’s hard to explain in hushed tones in the pew why the tears roll down my cheeks. Some in Joy and some in sorrow, that’s the way of life, right?
To be continued,
Lori
