Rejoice, Rejoice

Advent Day 26

Fourth Thursday in Advent

December 22, 2011

Reading: Zephaniah 3:14 (NRSV)

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

Theme: Rejoice, Rejoice!

Reflection:

What does rejoicing look like to you in the context of the celebration of Jesus’ birth? Our celebration of Christmas has many layers to it. One layer is our Christmas celebration as a Christian community. We rejoice, as we celebrate Christmas in church, following the meditative Advent season. When the Advent light grows stronger and the Christmas tree is decorated and finally lit, I think each of us, present in our CLC community, feels a particular joy at Jesus’ coming. Each of us is touched when we hear the good news of Jesus’ birth come from the mouths of our Sunday School students in the Christmas pageant.

Yet Christmas in our culture has many other dimensions. We rejoice as we gather our family together around home, hearth and Christmas tree. We rejoice when we thank a store clerk for her service in this busy frantic, season. And there is yet another layer of celebration in the public, more secular Christmas gatherings and parties in towns, communities and businesses.

I think we can be full of rejoicing and celebration of Jesus’ birth in any of these layers when we keep the reasons for Jesus’ coming in our hearts and minds. A neighborhood Christmas party can help you connect with friends and neighbors, living out Jesus’ command to love your neighbor. Perhaps that party is also chance to listen to one of your neighbors’ recent difficulties, or maybe it is a chance to re-connect with someone with whom you have lost touch.

It is only when our multi-dimensional Christmas celebration creates stress and bad feelings that we need to realize that we have lost the sense of rejoicing. If trying to buy that last gift causes us to cut off other drivers or snarl at store clerks, then perhaps we need to step back and re-evaluate the meaning of Christmas, and re-gain the sense of rejoicing.

Christmas celebrations are among the most meaningful and tradition laden in our culture. If you associate a particular food or tradition with the celebration of Christmas, and it raises a sense of joy in you, give to glory to God. If your family always decorates your tree at a particular time, and the tree decorating helps ground the spirit of Christmas in you, rejoice! Enjoy all the special things that you love about the Christmas season and use them as a way of giving thanks to One whose coming we celebrate.

Prayer: Rejoicing God, we give you thanks for the coming of your Son, and we give you thanks that we are able to rejoice at his coming in so many ways. Ground us in your Son’s love and help us to use the special traditions of this season as a way of giving glory to you. Amen