3rd Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2019 - A Voice Cries Out ... as a Prelude to Joy

Sometimes the cry is that of a lone voice;

            sometimes, the voices of many swelling together as one.

The cry is a mournful cry,

full of sorrow and grief,

laced with a sadness that shrouds the soul

as one grieves what was, but is no more,

            what never was, but should have been.

But the cry is more than a mournful cry.  It is a prayer – a calling out to One who is compassionate and gracious.

And as a prayer, the cry brings the one who cries out into the presence of the One

who binds up the brokenhearted,

who brings release to the captive,

who comforts those who mourn.

As a prayer, the cry opens the heart of the one who cries out –

opens that one to God and to the love of God,

            opens that one to experience the goodness of God in the midst of sorrow,

opens that one to the work of God in the midst of the darkest night.

As a prayer, the cry is a prelude to joy.

            Joy is the response of the heart to the goodness of God. 

Joy is a mark of the people of God –

            joy rooted in the experience of God and God’s love,

            joy unaffected by life’s circumstances,

joy that heals the soul and transforms the spirit.

During this Advent season, we remember that we are a people of joy.