Dear Blooming Glen Friends, 

“ O come all ye faithless,
joyless and defeated.
O come ye, O come ye
To Bethlehem…” 
From @MattSmethrust on X 

The joy of Christmas is not an intrinsic reality.  We are not glad of heart on our own merits.  God’s joy does not land on our lives because we are deserving. 

The Angel Gabriel makes a repeat performance in the sermon text this week.  Having delt with Zechariah’s question (“How can I be sure this will happen? I am an old man …” – Luke 1:18), the angel speaks to Mary, a young woman who is betrothed into what is likely an arranged marriage, and deliver’s the news of her impending pregnancy.  She is, like Zechariah, flummoxed with questions (“But how can this happen? I am a virgin …” – Luke 1:34).   

In the case of Zechariah, Gabriel takes his capacity for speech away because he and Elizabeth, are being delivered from shame and Zechariah questions God’s ability to do that.  In the case of Mary, an almost identical question is met with further, tender explanations.  Where Zechariah was being delivered through God’s gift of John, Mary would be plunged into a world where shame, anxiety, worry, and fear could reign.  Gabriel gives Mary words of comfort and hope as she begins a lifelong journey of mothering God among us.   

God meets us where we are at in life.  When we struggle with belief, God has sufficient faith for us both.  When joy seems elusive, God offers us promise.  When life seems to defeat us, God makes a way.   

The Advent/Christmas/Epiphany season we are embarking on is meant precisely for the weary, the messed-up, the broken.  When life is saturated with chronic pain and trials of crisis, God is present.  When our life isn’t fit for social media posts, the birth of Jesus is the promise that God really, truly, and actually, saves.  That’s where joy comes and seeks us out – not because we have God figured out, but because God holds us in His love.   

Advent is a journey from the status quo and negotiated settlements of life as it is, to the surprising joy that lies in wait within God’s new work.  In this season of Advent, may joy abound, because faithfulness reigns. 

Thanks for being the (joyful) church,
Pastor Jeff
jeff@bgmc.net 

PS – Friday, December 8 is an opportunity for coffee and conversation at the Broad Street Grind, 3:30-4:45 pm. Sunday, December 10, I’ll be hanging out in the Welcome Center for coffee and conversation during the Sunday School Hour.  Monday, December 11, I’ll be at the A&N Diner from 7:30 to 8:45 am for conversation over breakfast.  Also – remember that the Nazareth Peace Walk is this Saturday, December 9.  See a member of the Micah 6:8 Team for more details.  AND, don’t forget that this Sunday, December 10, is a great opportunity to interact with the East Coast participants in Mennonite Central Committee’s International Volunteer Exchange Program.  These young adults from the Global South will participate in our worship service, share in our gathered second hour, and then be our guests at a church potluck.  Come and participate in their journeys toward the new thing God is doing in their lives.