The Third Week Of Advent: Joy

AM Psalm 41, 52 • PM Psalm 44
Isa. 8:16-9:1 • 2 Pet. 1:1-11 • Luke 22:39-53

The season of advent is all about waiting and preparing for Jesus, and during the third week, it is traditional to focus on joyful preparation. This year, St Paul’s has put out a new Advent devotional called The Poetry of Advent: An Advent Companion to Mary Oliver’s “Devotions”. Exploring Mary Oliver’s poetry through the lens of the liturgical season has been delightful.

Sometimes when the wind is blowing straight down your neck and the sun has set by 4:45 and the Christmas music at the grocery store is too loud, it is easy to want to rush to the end of Advent. Sometimes there is so much pain and despair that you just want to burst through midwinter and land back in summertime. Even the psalmist who wrote his hymns thousands of years ago feels the same: in Psalm 41, the sick person can’t stand it anymore and feels abandoned. In 52, the righteous person is infuriated with the greedy and evil people. In 44, the psalmist feels abandoned and can’t wait for God to wake up and get to blessing the nation again!

But the poetry that we are focusing on in Adult Forum is decidedly less preoccupied with doom. Mary Oliver asks us to notice the brawny mosses, the silent snow, and even the “sweet trash” that we might find piled in public spaces. When we are able to step outside of ourselves, we are able to more fully see the joyfulness around us. We won’t be able to cure the sickness, bring the evil to justice, or even to wake God up when we feel abandoned, but we can try some practices that insert a little more joy into the season.

Written by Haley Hixson

You can find me at the 11:00 Service and hanging out at the coffee hour!