Midweek Faith Lift
December 25, 2024
Where Is My Joy?
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
Spiritual Passages
December 16, 2024
The pastor of a local church met a parishioner while walking along the street. He stopped the man and asked why he did not attend church more regularly. The man replied that the sermons were okay, but he said, "Every single time I go to church you sing the same songs!" The pastor, who was quite proud of the diversity in the church's music, was bewildered. He asked the man which songs was he talking about. The man replied, "Silent Night," and "O Little Town of Bethlehem."
And in that same spirit:
A boy wanted to be Joseph in the Sunday School pageant. When he was cast as the innkeeper, he protested, but to no avail. When the pageant was presented, Mary and Joseph knocked on the door and asked him if there was room in the inn. The boy smiled and said, "Yes, sure. Lots of room. Come on in!"
On a personal note:
The four stages of life: 1) You believe in Santa Claus. 2) You don't believe in Santa Claus. 3) You are Santa Claus. 4) You look like Santa Claus.
And finally:
"I'm reminded of the old-fashioned Christmas letter, in which relatives and friends use the birth of Jesus as an excuse to brag about themselves. I wonder whether an honest Christmas letter is even possible. Not, "Suzy has been accepted to Harvard," or "Santa is dropping off the Lexus with a big bow tied on top." But instead, "Please pray for Uncle Joe, arrested for tax evasion," or "Lisa, who hopes to stay clean after leaving rehab," or "Dominic, who's struggling to save his fifth marriage after being charged with indecent exposure." Signed, "From one dysfunctional family to another, Merry Christmas."
- Robin Meyers, Saving God from Religion
It makes me laugh and reminds me that joy is really deeply connected to our ability to laugh and to not take ourselves so seriously. That can be quite a heavy lift when our circumstances or general life conditions don’t seem to call up much of the energy of joy. Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy, and there is a LOT of hype that is meant to put us in the Christmas spirit and to be very generous and shop till we drop! Or these days, it is more like let Amazon deliver incessantly until the poor delivery people drop from exhaustion and the credit card drops from overuse!
We have all, at one time or another, navigated a holiday season that was anything but joyful, not even close, for all kinds of reasons. It may even be this particular year that feels different and less festive and joyful. That being said, we are right back to holding space for the energy of joy and not joy, just like all the other parts of our Advent journey thus far. And joy is a tricky one, because we often have moments of joy connected to a specific event, outcome, situation or relationship. That feels like real joy, and it is. It is the human experience of joy for sure, and when we have it, we want more of it.
We recently had a Face Time call with our 2-year-old grandchild, Sayre, and for sure, little kids, in their complete innocence, do experience joy. Watching Sayre play with her baby doll and all the little animals was to watch pure joy and fun. When her parents prompted her to pay attention to us on the screen, she very distinctly said, “No!” Nothing was going to get in the way of her joy; that was very clear! She is definitely entering the 2-year-old “no” stage when joy begins to be challenged by parents and adults who place increasing expectations and requests on her. To which Sayre answers, “No!” Wise kiddo, that one!
Jesus had something to say about children as he blessed them. It is in Matthew 19:13-14
Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” (NRSV-UE)
Notice that the disciples were clearly going to keep the kids away from Jesus, but he would not have it. And the message is very clear, as Jesus said earlier in Matthew 18:1-3
True Greatness
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child, whom he put among them, 3 and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (NRSV-UE)
What is the underlying message here? It must be important, because it shows up in two places in Matthew. It also shows up in the gospel of Mark, so there is something to this Kingdom of Heaven and children and greatness.
In the ministry and the life of Jesus and his message there is a big difference between what he is saying and what his disciples are hearing. They keep asking about “Kingdoms” meaning earthly power and greatness as in a great ruler, or great leader or king. Jesus keeps trying to make it clear that he is not interested in that or and his mission is not about that kind of energy. He is offering a “consciousness of innocence and joy, even in the face of all that is not-joy.” That is very puzzling to his disciples, to his followers and, quite honestly, to us.
We, in Unity, understand “Kingdom of Heaven” as Christ-consciousness, and entering the Kingdom of Heaven is living in and from that place in Christ- consciousness. It is a place of innocence that is entered even as one is a self-conscious adult who is seeking greatness, power and other human pursuits that might bring joy and happiness as we humanly experience it. It is no small irony that we have created Christmas, a birthday celebration, as the ultimate expectation of human joy with LOTS of attachments to outcomes, for sure. But that was not the message at all. I am fairly sure Jesus would NOT want all the hype and the fuss and the expense of how we do Christmas! That is not where true joy is.
So how do I, an adult in 2024, knowing what I know about human nature and behavior “change and become like a child” in order to even have a shot at entering the Kingdom of Heaven which could be described as a consciousness of joy. Well, it is more a matter of cultivating self-awareness rather that becoming even more self-conscious and self-involved. Being self-absorbed and self-involved is a sure-fire recipe for all that is not-joy. Desiring to be in control and cultivating attachment to outcomes or “how things should be” is another road to not-joy.
Let’s recast the word joy to first be an invitation to “Just Observe Yourself.” We have been exploring that one quite a bit in our Advent journey this year. It is part of our personal “holy trinity” of Human/Observer/Divine self. So pause and notice what it is you are wanting, thinking, saying and doing that robs you of joy. Wanting things to not be how they are is a biggie for me right now! I am observing that one a lot in my own thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Each one of the opening scenarios is a story about how despite the desire to control situations and out comes, none of it is in our control! My personal favorite is the kid who wanted to be Joseph and was told he had to be the Inn Keeper. Boy did he have a great time changing the whole story of Christmas! “Come on in, there’s plenty of room!” I bet it got a big laugh….which is evidence of joy. I bet if Jesus were in the audience, he would laugh the loudest and applaud the longest.
I can also relate the minister story wanting more people to be in church more regularly. I recently had the chance to observe my attachment to that situation just last week. I had the awareness that being pre-occupied with who wasn’t in church robbed me of truly being present and feeling joy about who was there! That was a much-needed shift in consciousness, for sure. The message of Jesus “Wherever two or more are gathered, there I am among them.” He didn’t say 20, or 200 or 2000, just two- your head and your heart have to be there and be together.
That is the key to the real source of joy—Just Open Yourself! When we let go of all the barriers to joy, we just let the seeds of joy germinate, they will flower all on their own. Our task is to be patient, watch and wait and provide all that supports the essential conditions for joy to flow. We create so many hurdles and barriers and obstacles…and the simplest path to joy, like that of a child is to Just Open Yourself. Richard Rohr, in his Dec. 13, 2024 blog, “Great Mystery, Great Intimacy”
The mystics are those who are let in on this secret mystery of God’s love affair with the soul, each knowing God loves my soul in particular; God loves me uniquely. We are invited into that same mystery. All true love gives us this sense of being special, chosen, and like nobody else. That is why we are so joyful in the presence of our lover, who mirrors us with a divine mirror.
May we see the mystery of love that brings true joy!
Merry Christmas,
Rev. Deb