Another week dawns, and it’s time to focus on joy. The shepherds’ joy, as tradition goes, to be exact.

Growing up with a minister for a father, I heard many observations and catchy statements offered about this virtue called joy. Among the most common were the acronym JOY standing for Jesus-Others-You (that is, one will never find true joy unless they put others first and themselves last) and the concept of happiness being something tied to flippant emotions but joy being tied to a steadier peace the sits deep in the heart through the storms of life.

But this year, I can’t escape the thought that those pithy ideas don’t go deep enough. There is something more magnificent to be found in the gift of the Babe – though our finite minds may only be able to grasp a glimpse or a fraction of that depth while we dwell on this earth, in this skin.

Perhaps that is because it is, essentially, something that goes far beyond the skin, both down into the soul of us and upward into the Spirit of God.

What if true joy has less to do with what we can feel and can describe and aim to work for – and has far more to do with the wonder of the mystery we cannot describe but that we hunger for? It is the unknown thing we crave when we are far from the Babe. And it is the thing we long to understand and experience more fully even when the Babe is near and in us. 

Because the true joy we sense on earth is like the appetizer of Heaven’s coming banquet. 

In that light, I think joy even more than hope – or perhaps in an inseparable combination with hope – is what keeps us going when there is no other logical reason for us to keep going. And it does so by overshadowing our fear with something greater.

The shepherds were nobodies, in the lowest class of workers in their culture. Then, suddenly, their hum-drum, lowly existence was interrupted by a tsunami of fear and awe. And then, they listened to a pair of commands sandwiched around a song and ran to see if the outrageously-ridiculous could defy everything known to actually be possible.

And when they saw it, they could do nothing else but spread the news and give glory to God.

May that same Spirit, that Babe, and that joy encapsulate our hearts today.

This week, according to the order of some Advent services, we celebrate peace.

Ironic, how non-peaceful the first Christmas was according to Scripture and history. Consider:

• An obsessed, paranoid, and cruel regional ruler stopping at nothing to protect his power.
• A larger empire mercilessly taxing even the poorest families within their realm.
• A young woman, and later her betrothed, sacrificing their reputations and risking their personal safety to fulfill a divine request their relatives and neighbors would doubt.
• A baby being born to a terrified, inexperienced mother in the middle of an overcrowded, unfamiliar town.
• A people longing continually (for centuries) to see their bitterness end and their freedom restored.

In light of all these and other non-peaceful factors, how can we celebrate peace when we think of what this season represents? Consider:

• A Father who painfully heard the cries of mourning mothers, and I would suggest deeply mourned with them, even as He ushered his own Son to temporary safety in a foreign land.
• A King who had compassion on the poor and sent His Son as a gift for every person in that empire and beyond, no matter how rich or poor the people were.
• A Sage who was supremely wise in His choice of earthly parents for His Son.
• A Provider who cleared a place for the virgin to give birth without complication – and who gave her the strength and courage to do so.
• A Giver who began to offer sweet living water and the breaking of infinite chains when His gift quietly slid into this dark world.

In moments of personal reflection, I am most thankful for two things. I thank God for the words of peace the angels spoke in the midst of man’s fear. And I’m equally thankful that this peace I celebrate is not dependent upon the absence of the bad, but instead is based on what (or Who) I hold onto in the midst of the bad.

That is the peace and gift wrapped up in infant skin.

In the beginning, all was dark.

And God spoke, breathing light into the universe. Then He created every formed and living part of the universe and crowned His creation with this glory: a man and a woman. And He breathed life into the human body from the very essence of His Spirit.

Many centuries later, a prophet lived in a time of darkness, uncertainty, and longing. And God gave him these words of promise: “There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress…The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” In that promise, He was again breathing light into the universe and He was foreshadowing the glory to come when we would have the chance to choose rebirth in and refilling with His Spirit.

Centuries later still – even now – there are many people, times, and places that are once more shrouded in darkness. But, again, we have been given a gift of the Spirit that can abide in the willing heart, and we have the promise of a day we long for, a day the Spirit inside us groans for with all creation. Light will gloriously appear to fully engulf the universe and dispel all darkness forever. And the Spirit will usher a Bride to her wedding ceremony.

This first advent Sunday, we celebrate hope. And we rejoice in the fulfilled words of the Prophets and in God’s wondrous, mysterious, magnificent way, acknowledging that hope is always – and only – possible in His light and His Spirit.

Gloria to the God of light and hope.

In 1975, a man named Arthur Bennett published a collection of prayers and devotionals – lines and words he compiled from great Puritan writers and thinkers of the past. He called the collection The Valley of Vision. For those not already familiar with this beautiful work, I recommend it. Though some of the language is understandably archaic, the prayers are written with great thoughtfulness and lead the reader to meditate long on their meaning. Again, in the spirit of the roots of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share some lines from those prayers that have been particularly meaningful to me.

10 Lines from The Valley of Vision Upon Which I’m Thankful to Dwell

1. Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water. (From “The Deeps“)
2. Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea. (From “The Mover“)
3. O Lover of thy people, thou hast placed my whole being in the hands of Jesus, my Redeemer, Commander, Husband, Friend, and carest for me in him. (From “Evening Prayer“)
4. I trusted thee in an hour of distress, and thou didst not fail me, though faith trembled. (From “Love Shed Abroad“)
5. When I am restored and rest in thee, give me summer weather in my heart. (From “Repose“)
6. Fill me with an over-flowing ocean of compassion, the reign of love my motive, the law of love my rule. (From “Humility in Service“)
7. May I never seek in the creature what can be found only in the Creator. (From “A Disciple’s Renewal“)
8. Give me knowledge of thy goodness that I might not be over-awed by thy greatness. (From “Worship“)
9. Come as beautifier, bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos. (From “Spiritus Sanctus“)
10. When thou art absent all sorrows are here, when thou art present all blessings are mine. (From “Victory“)

Be blessed, dear reader. And a most Happy Thanksgiving to you.

10 Days in World History I’m Thankful for (and Why)

1. The day writing was invented: how can I narrow it down to one reason? 🙂
2. The day the Israelites left Egypt as a free people: because their liberation foreshadowed my own.
3. The day Jesus was born: everything about his life, death, and return to life would change the world.
4. The day Robert Morrison finished his Chinese translation of the Bible: when he first came to China, he observed that he didn’t expect to have any spiritual impact on the Chinese but he certainly expected that God would…I wonder if he knew how right his prediction would be?
   
5. The day Harriet Tubman made her first “run” leading others north via the Underground Railroad: for her selfless actions and her bravery, for all the people she saved and helped restore dignity to.
6. The day(s) that each of the major wars in modern history ended: because each of them may have been fought for a purpose, but as Solomon observed (thank God), “There is a time for war and a time for peace.”
7. The day Mother Teresa arrived in India: who could have known what a quiet but piercing light of goodness that small woman would bring into our world?
8. The day my parents got married: just an ordinary summer day in Kansas led to 47 years and counting…not bad for a ceremony springing from a $100 budget.
9. September 12, 2001: because the sun rose.
10. November 21, 2018: each day is a gift and another chance to say, “Thanks.”

In keeping with yesterday’s theme about emotions and the historical/theological roots of this season, I’d like to celebrate some great traits our communities – and our whole world – need more of. (Feel free to comment below about these or others that you are thankful to observe in the lives of those around you.)

Twelve Virtues I’m Always Grateful to See Lived Out

• Consideration
• Wisdom
• Humility
• Courage
• Justice
• Mercy
• Patience
• Generosity
• Trustworthiness 
• Honesty
• Self-Control
• Purity

In some of the posts in this series, I’ve included my own reasons for why I’m thankful to/for someone or something. In today’s post, I have at least one reason for every word I will list. But I am choosing not to include those reasons so that you as the reader can ponder what possible reasons we may have.

12 Emotions I’m Thankful We Can Experience and Express

• Confusion
• Anger
• Sorrow
• Delight
• Hope
• Enlightenment
• Admiration
• Compassion
• Disappointment
• Sympathy
• Contentment
• Curiosity 

What about you? Which emotions are you most thankful for?

Politicians – from the small-time to the big-time – have garnered various levels of support, opposition, respect, and hatred throughout American history. Sometimes they have been most famous (or infamous) for their policies and positions; other times, their reputation has been built on their personal life and choices.

You may or may not personally know of or appreciate all the people I will list today. But, politics aside (!), please indulge me while I share the reasons why I’m thankful for them…and feel free to add comments about politicians/leaders you are thankful for.

Ten People Connected to America’s Political Past or Present I’d Like to Thank – and Why (in no particular order)

1. Governor William Bradford: not just because he’s said to be one of my ancestors, but also because he led his community through years of survival in a challenging environment while never giving up on his faith.
2. First Lady Laura Bush: thank you for your advocacy of literacy programs and your quiet strength and dignity as a wife and mother.
3. President Abraham Lincoln: for his bravery, vision for freedom and equality, and how he never lost sight of what he believed in.
4. President George W. Bush: thank you for leading our country through another hard time of loss, fear, and conflict, and for doing so with strength and confidence.
5. The “Founding Fathers” as a group: because they cooperated to achieve a common goal – the formation of a place where we could thrive if we would try.
6. Dr. Condoleezza Rice: thank you for demonstrating how power does not have to corrupt, how age does not have to define ability, and how a woman can be intelligent, beautiful, modest, graceful, witty, wise, and successful all at the same time.
7. Congressman Don Bacon: thank you for many years of military service to our country, and for remaining a genuinely loving person in the midst of our current political landscape.
8. Vice President Mike Pence: thank you for living a personal life of integrity and for quietly holding on to and living out your beliefs through your professional actions.
9. President Ronald Reagan: for his deep personal faith and his longing to stick to his plans simply because he believed they were best for the country he loved.
10. Dr. Ben Carson: thank you for being a tremendous example of overcoming adversity in respectable ways and using your talents and knowledge to heal, to bless, and to speak truth to a divided society.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” —William Arthur Ward

Twelve People I Will Always be Grateful to – and Wish I Had One More Moment with Today So I Could Say “Thank You” Again

• Aunt Ethel
• Rachel Bowland
• Billie Jean Anderson
• Lanthon and Virginia Camblin
• Raymond and Bernice Powell
• Franklin Hardy
• Brother “Andy”
• Tracy Tyner-Padilla
• Claude White
• Glen Waddle

Who would you say “thank you” to if you had just one more chance to do so? Feel free to comment below.