Hey dear friends,
Welcome to this third week of Advent,
The week of joy.
As we begin,
I invite you to close your eyes.
Notice that with the effortless act of closing your eyes,
Your mind automatically becomes quieter.
Take a gentle breath in,
And let it fall softly out.
Joy is often quieter than we expect.
Less fireworks,
More warmth.
Less spectacle,
More presence.
Let's begin again with the simple words,
BE STILL.
Feel your body arrive,
Let your breath settle into a natural rhythm.
Allow stillness to open a small clearing inside you,
A clearing where joy can take root.
Next,
Let us adopt an attitude of gratitude and non-judgment.
Gratitude makes space for joy by shifting our attention to the gifts we often overlook.
And non-judgment gives joy permission to be small,
Subtle,
Or quiet.
Not forced or fabricated,
Honest.
And as we enter this meditation,
Let us embrace a spirit of peace and loving-kindness.
Joy grows where kindness flows.
Joy blooms when peace is practiced.
Let your heart soften toward yourself,
Toward others,
And toward a world longing for restoration.
Take one more soft breath as we prepare to listen.
The messenger from Creator said,
Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news.
News that will fill all the people with great joy.
Today,
In the Village of Bread,
A Savior has been born,
The Chosen One,
The Great Chief who will make all things new.
Let the words,
Great Joy,
Linger for a moment.
News that will fill all the people with great joy.
Joy is a gift that does not depend on perfection.
It does not wait for everything to be resolved.
It breaks in,
Unexpected,
Unforced,
Like a sunrise spilling gold across the mountains,
Or laughter rising at a table of friends.
In the story of the First Coming,
Joy arrives in surprising places,
In a barn,
In a feeding trough,
In the faces of shepherds who were not considered important,
And yet were the first to hear the song of the heavens.
Joy chooses the humble places.
Joy makes home in the overlooked corners.
Joy shows up where no one expects it.
And this,
Too,
Is the way of Christ.
In the Second Coming,
The coming again of Yeshua to restore all things,
Joy is the sound of liberation.
It is the laughter of those once burdened now walking freely.
It is the singing of nations healed.
It is creation breathing easy again.
It is the deep gladness of a world set right.
This joy is not escapism.
It is a fierce,
Rooted joy,
Born from the trust that renewal is possible,
That every act of love echoes into eternity,
That every small moment of kindness is a seed of the world to come.
Joy is what happens when we glimpse the world as God dreams it to be.
Joy is the fruit of hope ripening.
Joy is peace becoming visible.
Joy is peace becoming visible.
Take a moment to imagine joy as a warm light within you,
Not a forceful blaze,
A steady glow.
See it growing.
Feel it warming your chest.
Let it soften your breath,
Gentle and real.
This is the joy of Advent,
The joy that Christ has come and the joy that Christ is coming again to heal,
To reconcile,
And to make all things new.
Rest with that glow for a few breaths.
Thank you,
Dear friends,
For entering this third week of Advent with stillness and joy.
As you go from this meditation,
May joy rise gently within you,
Like light finding its way through the cracks.
May you notice small delights and unexpected moments of gladness.
And may the promise of renewal,
The joy of liberation and healing,
Steady your steps.
May grace and peace,
Light,
Love,
And joy be with you.
