cultivating authentic joy — Advent 2021
Dear friends,
With joy I invite you to observe the season of Advent with us at St. Luke’s, beginning on Sunday, November 7th. This year St. Luke’s joins a growing ecumenical movement of congregations throughout North America in keeping an expanded Advent season: seven weeks instead of four during which to prepare.
What are we preparing for? Retail stores and video ads have been telling us it’s time for Christmas since October. Why is it that the church sets aside a season of waiting, instead of joining in the Christmas fun?
For centuries--long before the commercial Christmas that we now know--the Church has observed Advent as a season of preparation. We are preparing not only for the Christmas feast itself, but for the reality that undergirds it: that in Christ, God is coming into the world, and God is already here.
In the midst of a world that is so broken, lives that are so lonely, systems that are so unjust, Advent readies us for nothing less than the Reign of God -- God’s future of justice and peace. We are waiting for the day when we won’t have to wait anymore.
How do we prepare? I know how to get ready for a Christmas party: sweep the floors, cook the food, light a candle, do my hair. But how to prepare for the Reign of God? Unlike the switch that seems to flip instantly to red and green in storefronts, it is not so easy to “turn on” the joy of God’s promised future.
Not that we haven’t tried. If you put on a forced smile and a cute sweater, you might just look like you’ve caught that Christmas spirit. Of course, that is also why this time of year can often feel so empty for those of us for whom “holiday cheer” doesn’t tell the whole story of our complicated human experience.
To prepare for the Reign of God is deeper, more honest, and requires more faith. Advent invites us to cultivate authentic joy, which is not shallow or fragile. This is a joy deeper than the masks we put on, and strong enough to coexist with grief and pain. Authentic joy is truthful, not putting a positive spin on things, but able to abide even in the face of real suffering.
In these seven weeks, we’ll be focusing in worship on those practices, beliefs, and experiences that cultivate authentic joy:
Joy and remembering (Nov 7)
Joy in the midst of turmoil (Nov 14)
Joy that tells the truth (Nov 21)
Joy in gratitude (Nov 28)
Setting the stage for joy (Dec 5)
A dress rehearsal for joy (Dec 12)
Embodied joy (Dec 19)
Enclosed you will find a letter from Children’s Minister Carmen Kingsley including an invitation to keep Advent at home; a schedule for worship and faith formation in Advent; and a prayer: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel will come to you.”
With hope for the joy to come,
Pastor Erin