Advent Day 15 - Rev. Ann Owens

The Wonder of Joy
“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  
(Luke 2:4-14)
  
Have you ever ridden in a vehicle with a young child for a long trip? There is a lot of waiting, and often little lack of complaint. “How much longer?” “When will be there?” “Oh, I’m so excited to be there and tired of waiting!” Waiting requires a lot of patience. To understand that the journey will still take as long as it’s going to take – it is up to us how we choose to spend our time before we get there. When I get bored with waiting, I think about this excitedly impatient child on a journey – how do they handle waiting? In my household, there is a lot of imagination. When waiting gets hard, we like to wonder. We create stories with our favorite fictional characters, we imagine what activities we will do when we finally reach our destination, and we’re filled with joy as we think about the greeting waiting for us at our destination.

During this season of waiting, I follow my children’s example, and I wonder. Sometimes I wonder what the Shepherds thought when they saw the angels. I wonder how they felt as they walked into Bethlehem to meet the new baby. I often wonder what Mary did with her time while she was waiting for Jesus to be born. I wonder if Mary felt joy as she imagined what her new baby would look like. Would he have dark chestnut eyes or olive with a hint of sunshine? Or did she wonder what it would feel like to hold the son of God in her arms, knowing he was her son… I imagine Mary wondered a lot about what her life was to become, while she waited for Jesus. There is a lot of joy in imagination and in wondering in what is to come.  

I imagine that is why the angels greeted the Shephard’s with “news of great joy for all the people.” The birth of Jesus brings us hope, and in that hope for a better world through Jesus, we have joy.  

I’ve had friends, loved ones, and even strangers from outside Western North Carolina ask me if I think Christmas will still be the same this year. Will it still be as joyful?
The remnants of the past two months are still very much present in my daily life – bottles of water for brushing teeth in the kids' bathroom, a bowl for handwashing water in the guest room, and a 35-gallon water tanker sitting on my back porch. Joyful moments often give way to sudden reminders of the devastation.

The other day, I drove to visit a friend in Fairview, taking some roads I hadn’t been on since the flooding. At first, I was overwhelmed by images that were both new and hauntingly familiar. I saw the uprooted trees, the broken landscapes, and the lasting changes. But as I continued, I started to notice something else: I was driving over newly repaired roads, crossing freshly built bridges. Everywhere I looked, I had a choice—to focus on the devastation or to recognize the remarkable amount of work that had already been done. I passed private roads with logs piled along the sides, evidence of neighbors working together to clear the debris. On my way home, I saw two large excavators carving out a new road. The joy was there, I simply had to take notice.
 
As we prepare in this Advent season and build the manger, may we also take a moment to notice how we are rebuilding the mountains. Let us focus on the joy that comes from wonder, and continue to imagine what our world can become, as we rebuild hope, joy, peace, and love in the life of Central UMC, the community of Asheville, and the Western North Carolina mountains. 
  
Prayer: Gracious and loving God, As we wait in this holy season of Advent, we come with hearts full of hope, yet also burdened by the weight of what we’ve lost. We long for Your presence to guide us through this time of rebuilding, both in our hearts and in the mountains around us. Lord, help us to see Your hand at work in every crack and crevice,
 in every tree uprooted and every bridge restored. As we wait for the fullness of Your peace to come, remind us that in every moment of rebuilding, You are with us, renewing our spirits and strengthening our communities. Grant us patience as we wait for joy to return.
 May we find it in the quiet moments— in the work of neighbors, in the beauty of fresh roads, and in the kindness that rises from the rubble. Help us to notice the small wonders,
 the seeds of joy planted even in the darkest of days. We trust that You are doing a new thing, not just in the land, but in us. Guide us to rebuild with Your love, and fill our hearts with the light of Advent, so that in every step we take, we may see Your grace at work,
 and share that joy with the world around us. In the name of Your Son, our hope and our joy,
 we pray. Amen.