May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Romans 15:13
The
fourth week of Advent, we light the candle that represents love. Love is big.
God is love! (1 John 4:8) Which
is why Christine Rossetti’s poem is so fitting:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
By Christina Rossetti
(The Kings College
Choir sings a nice version here: http://youtu.be/FAjB0GVpleg )
It’s this love that is the foundation for our joy. Love and joy are linked together. Which is why the name Lovejoy is such an
ironic name for the reverend in The Simpsons TV show.[1]
Rev. Lovejoy is not joyful. He’s cynical
and tired. He’s like so many of us that seem
to have lost our joy. And although the
Simpsons creator says he named the reverend after a street,[2]
the name is particularly ironic because love and joy are expected of
Christians. Jesus even told us this is
how people would know us, by our love! (John 13:35)
Joy is still waiting for us, and I think love is the
key. And maybe this is something we
learn from Rev. Lovejoy, who we see dealing with lots of difficult people,
especially Homer Simpson, but he hangs in there. Maybe that is love, too. Sticking it out in less than ideal conditions
is a gesture of love, and maybe even in the midst of that we can find joy in
love. God is love, and God loves us and
wants us to have joy. So why not ask him
for some? Trust him to hear and to
answer in ways that may surprise you!
For our
heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:21)
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