How Does a Weary World Rejoice?
How does a weary world rejoice?
This is the question we are wrestling with as we travel through this Advent season. Admittedly, it is a question that has been on my mind for a long time. This question is one that is heavy. It carries with it the Advent hope that we are meant to find during this season and acknowledges my (our?) exhaustion.
In the midst of a divorce, hearing about wars and rumors of wars, seeing our neighbors on the streets, knowing that LiftUP has seen more clients than ever this year – how am I supposed to rejoice? The Christ Child is coming, it’s true, and that is indeed a joyful thing - and rejoicing in that feels like just.too.much.
We lit the candle of hope last week. For me, it was out of necessity more than anything else. How do I hope when the things listed above weigh heavy on my heart? But Alyson in the 8:30 service and the Arenivar family in the 10:30 service lit the candle anyway, because in this community of faith we boldly declare what seems impossible – that hope comes to us in the darkest of times.
How does a weary world rejoice?
This Advent season we are leaning into the balm that is acknowledgement. Namely, we are leaning into the balm that is simply acknowledging our weariness. We remember that we must practice what the Advent candles represent – hope, peace, joy, and love. Leaving their light to flicker in the darkness is a good start, but it’s not enough. What do we do after we acknowledge our weariness? As I quoted Carrie Newcomer a few weeks ago, “We have been leaning into love for a long time, and that has not changed.”
In this season, we do well to revisit the words of the Psalmist. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff – they protect me.” In this season of weariness, we take root in the things that are known and familiar. The sun will rise each day. The blue skies will break through the rain. The children will laugh. The days will get longer. The candles will flicker – and they will get brighter.
How does a weary world rejoice?
If you’re feeling particularly weary this season, there are opportunities for you to connect in meaningful ways to the life of the church in ways that aren’t wreaths and jingle bells and carols. Your clergy team are each acutely aware of the pain that the holiday season can bring. We are available for you if you need a willing ear or someone to sit with. If you need space away from your normal rhythms of work and home and hobbies, you can even sit in my office while I work. I don’t mind and I understand that presence is sometimes the thing that is needed more than words.
We also have a worship service coming up at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. This is A Service for the Weary. This service is particularly designed for those who have loved and lost this year, whether it be a loved one, a job, a relationship, a dream, or something else. We will gather in the chapel together to listen, to reflect, and to acknowledge the pain that the season is bringing with it this year.
If you want a special set-apart space to acknowledge your own weariness, but sitting in my office or coming to a communal worship service isn’t really your jam, we have a Liturgy for the Weary that will guide you through a time of remembrance and help you lean into love in your own space, in your own time, and at your own pace. Simply ask your clergy team or the church office for this liturgy and we can get it to you. It is also linked for you here.
I leave you with an Advent prayer that has long been in my heart. Maybe it will live in your heart, too.
“God, we confess that we are afraid of newness. We shudder at the idea of change. We prefer to remain here in what is familiar rather than journeying into the unknown. We build walls around ourselves so that you might stay a safe distance.
“But we know that you wait at the edge of all our borders, calling us out of our comfort zones and expectations. Transform the fences we have built around our hearts into bridges of understanding. In this season of Advent, be born again in all our broken places. Amen.” - Rev. Brian Erickson, 2008
Yours in Community,
Rev. Rachel
