Finding Joy In The Midst Of Turmoil
Listen to the word. The first chapter of John verses 23 & 26c -27 NRSV:
“John said “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” ‘Among you stands one you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’
Yesterday, the third Sunday of Advent, ‘Gaudete’ Sunday, we paused for a moment’s interruption to the penitential nature of Advent. The glow from the ‘lone pink candle’ in the Advent wreath still strangely stirs the heart, beckoning us to contemplate rediscovering the light of joy in the midst of the ominous web of disorder in the world. A web that seeks to disparage, ensnare, deplete, numb, and thus confine the dispirited in a dark hole of disconnection as anxiety, shock, violence, undercover, and barefaced atrocities plague the world and our being.
The web is real. John the Baptist, reflector of the Light is not bedazzled by the web. He who knows the reality that is the web knows the Light intimately. John experienced, in utero, the power of the Light housed in Mary’s womb. The growing Power within the Blessed Mother that caused John, the unborn cousin, to leap with joy unspeakable at the sound of Mary’s voice. Is it any wonder that down through the ages, the voice of John remains resolute in testimony? “I am here to point you to the Light…The Light that gifts Joy”.
Today you may be on the brink of disconnect. A plaintive cry escapes from somewhere deep within, “How do I find joy…genuine joy… in the midst of turmoil?”
Be still. Hear the voice of John saying to you. “Shift your focus from all that is striving to consume you. Look beyond self. Look beyond me. Become awakened to Him who is Light.
My dear siblings, close your eyes as you rest in Him who is Light. He desires to ease the heaviness within.
Hear His word to you His beloved “Exhale…Exhale all that seeks to consume…. Allow me to fill you with the pure, life-giving breath of God”.
In this soothing interval, concentrate on your breathing. Exhale—-Inhale. Continue for a few moments. (Silence)
Ask Him who is Light to awaken your spirit to perceive some of the things that are aglow with the light of joy in your life. (Silence)
Smile in thanksgiving as your attention returns to the room.
“How do I find joy in the midst of turmoil?” Another asks.
Follow the Light where He leads. The Light pauses in the midst of a group of survivors. Listen to three joy-filled voices: *
- “I was in pain and you comforted me.”
- “I was battered and you gave me shelter.”
- “I was confused and you gave me insight.”
Joyfully the glow from Light touches the lips, hands, and feet of your heart. There is a strange stir “Move to the beat, reflect my Light to all you meet”.
Brothers and sisters, I pray that the gifts of joy, divinely placed in our midst, will not remain un-noticed…un-noticed because they are packaged contrary to popular expectation.
Let us pray
**God of Light who sent John to offer hope and to face the world’s scorn. Open our ears to hear the cries from the margins, exposing our fears, sharpening and calling us to faith through Jesus Christ the One who is to come. Amen.
*Adapted slightly – Mary Pellauer: Sexual Assault and Abuse: A Handbook for Clergy and Religious Professionals, Harper Collins 1991
**(Source; Alternative Collects, Anglican Church of Canada)
Contributed by Rev. Mary Graham
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