Dear Church,
Happy Week of Joy! We have put hope in minds and peace in in our spirits and now, let’s put Joy in our days! That’s right we are moving toward the third Sunday in Advent also known as the pink candle Sunday, also known as the Sunday of JOY! So, this Sunday, I invite you all to wear your pink and celebrate the joy of the season with your community at National City! After worship, I hope you will join us for an Advent Devotional group at the church at 5pm led by Teresa Swihart.
I have been really enjoying these reflections by Sanctified Art’s Kalya Craig. She has been so thoughtful to the work that we as Christians are called to do around the world without making it feel like the work is ours alone. We can’t hope alone. We can’t find peace without each other. And this week we are reminded that joy, is ours not for the taking but for the doing with others. I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I experience great joy, I don’t want to keep it to myself, I want to share it with the world. You all know I am a big women’s soccer fan, and when we won the Olympic Gold Medal this year, I didn’t want to go to bed and dream of the joy, I wanted to scream it from the rooftop to people far and wide. That is the type of joy I hope that you find in following Jesus.
And when we talk about joy, it isn’t a joy to be put off. We aren’t just talking about a heavenly joy of a life to come. No! We are talking about joy now. The joy in being able to see your neighbor thrive. The joy in helping others feel loved and respected. The joy in justice and love as people of God. Joy is a noun because it exists as a thing within you and the world. However, joy, as in rejoice, is also a verb – like faith. Joy requires participation. Joy requires presence. Joy requires you, in your fullness, to recognize, grow, and share.
In the scriptures and reflections below, I hope you look for the ways you are called to be – joy. This day and always.
Gratefully and JOYOUSLY yours,
Pastor Stephanie
Luke 3:7-16 (NRSVUE)
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,[a] 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.
Isaiah 58:9b-12 (NRSVUE)
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your needs in parched places
and make your bones strong,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
DO THE GOOD THAT IS YOURS TO DO
Reflection | Kayla Craig
Headline after headline, creation groans. Our world's labor pains seem
compounding and never-ending. In the overwhelm of daily responsibilities
and the barrage of global crises, it's easy to feel like anything we do or say
is simply a drop in the ocean.
Yet, in this liturgical season of expectant hope, we must remember that the
good we do in the world has ripple effects beyond what we can see. We are
not the world's saviors, but we move toward the One who invites us into the
work and who labors alongside us.
Advent reminds us that Christ came into a world fraught with the very same
issues of injustice and inequality that we face, and he did not turn away.
Instead, he showed us a way forward: engaged action rooted in compassion.
We may think, “I'm just one person. What can I do?” Yet, as followers of
Christ, we’re invited to consider a different question, one rooted in hope
and action: “What is mine to do?”
This week's scripture calls us to a profound yet simple truth:
“I can’t do it all, but I can do something that matters.”
When approached by various community members—each grappling with
their role in a society marked by inequality and injustice—John the Baptist
gives practical advice that speaks across centuries. To the crowds, he says,
“Share what you have.” To the tax collectors, “Take no more than your due.”
To the soldiers, “Do no harm in pursuit of personal gain.”
Each instruction differs, yet the core message is the same:
Do the good that is yours to do.
After John shares this wisdom, he shares a second part: He points people
toward Jesus. We labor in vain if we are only relying on our own strength.
With God’s help, we are able to do the work that is ours to do.
John’s directives resonate with the words found in Isaiah 58, where the
prophet calls us to be the “repairers of the breach, the restorers of streets
to dwell in.” This passage invites us to bring forth restoration through
ordinary actions: feeding the hungry, serving the oppressed, and comforting
the afflicted. It’s about the cumulative power of small acts that weave
together to create a fabric of communal flourishing.
A popular quote stems from the Hebrew Bible’s admonition in Micah 6:8:
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love
mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.”
What is holding you back from taking these words to heart? Consider your
unique gifts, perspectives, talents, and resources. How might these uniquely
situate you to move into action in your actual, everyday life?
This Advent, in the quiet spaces of our hearts, where God's still, small voice
speaks, we are called to discern what is ours to do. Frederick Buechner
articulates this discernment: “The place God calls you to is the place where
your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”
As you light the third Advent candle, consider what specific opportunities
you have to contribute to your community. What makes you come alive?
How does that meet a need? Maybe you can extend hospitality to a lonely
neighbor, volunteer at your local school, or do the personal work of healing
that prevents the passing on of generational wounds.
We are all called to participate in God’s restorative story—a plan set in
motion from the creation of the stars.
The work of our hands and our hearts takes time, but that doesn’t mean
our labor is in vain.
Our work might seem small or insignificant, but when we look at the lineage
of Christ and the history of God’s people, we see lots of ordinary, flawed
people giving their small and shaky “yes” to God. Could they have fathomed
that their lives were part of an extraordinary story where heaven breaks
through and alters the course of history?
Labor pains of the world are real and often feel never-ending. But as we
journey toward the birth of Christ, we must remember the promise that new
life can spring from pain.
Each good work, no matter how small, is a thread in the fabric of God’s ongoing
creation story—one where love overcomes, peace prevails, and new life emerges.
This Advent, remember that your efforts, though they might seem modest,
are part of a larger, divine tapestry. With God’s help, may our acts of love
and works of justice lead to the flourishing of all people.
BLESSING
You are uniquely situated to bring light into the world. May you find courage
this season to do the good that is yours to do. It matters. May you see the
ripples of your actions expand outward, touching lives and mending the
fabric of our shared humanity.
BREATH PRAYER
INHALE: God of goodness,
EXHALE: Guide the work of my hands.
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