Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Sunday, December 13, 2015

"Preparing for the Light … with Joy" - Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent

Preparing for the Light … with Joy
Advent 3 – Narrative Lectionary 2
December 13, 2013
Grace, Mankato, MN
Ezra 1.1-4; 3.1-4, 10-13; Luke 2.25-28a

When our girls were little, like all good dads, I taught them how to ride a bike. On one occasion, I let go of the bike just as I should and watched my daughter speed ahead, full of pride. There came a rush of pure joy when one lets go and sees their child succeed. At the same time, I thought, “I need to tell my mom.” However, in the midst of joy I felt this overwhelming wave of grief engulf me. You see, my mom was dead had been for a number of years. Whether I hadn’t grieved fully or not, I don’t think I had missed her so deeply than I did at that moment. The overwhelming joy mixed with grief blindsided me.

With the story of the returning Jews from Babylonian exile, we’re at the end of our Old Testament journey this year. Next week we enter the Jesus story. But for today, we are in the book of Ezra, one of the last historical books in the Old Testament. The Persians have defeated the Babylonians and Cyrus the king of Persia has released many peoples to go home, at least those that wish to do so. In an effort to connect with their past and establish their legitimacy as true Israelites, the Jews rebuild the altar to make sacrifices to God. They also lay new foundations for the temple over the old and have worship service to dedicate the rebuilding effort. However, in the midst of this understandably joyful celebration, they were blindsided by an equal amount of grief and lament.

As I was thinking about this mixed-bag “celebration” in Ezra and my own experience with my daughter, I thought about the interplay between grief and joy. It seems as if there is an important relationship between them, almost interdependency. Helen Keller, who certainly knew something about grief and joy, said this: “The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” This morning, I simply want to invite you to reflect with me on Ezra as it informs us of this dynamic between grief and joy.

There will be no call to action or anything that I’m going to ask you to do. I’m simply going to make space for you think about this same dynamic in your life. In fact, making space is the first thing to notice in this text: the community makes space for the presence of both grief and joy. What is important to understand is that the relationship between grief and joy is complex and not something to be solved; it just is. One of the things I love about Grace is that somehow we as a community of faith not only understand this but embrace it. I have seen so many examples of you inviting people in all of their brokenness to come, be loved and to share their joys and sorrows. Just last week I heard of someone who expressed his appreciation for how much this place means to his family, how they were embraced and loved in the midst of some difficult and scary times. Every week we sing the same songs, say the same prayers, but each of us is touched in profoundly different ways. And that’s okay.

Second, we must not forget this communal aspect of grief and joy also affects us personally. In Ezra, God was rebuilding the Jewish people through their rebuilding of the temple and the city as well. So, too, God takes the wreckage of our lives to rebuild something new. As you know, this is not easy work. Whether we have caused, our brokenness or whether it’s been done unto us, or whether it has just happened, this rebuilding is a mixed bag. For, even as there is joy at what God is doing in, with and through us, there is also grief at what we’ve lost.

Lastly, Ezra reminds us that God is in the midst of both our grief and our celebration with steadfast love. The temple was a reminder to the Jews that, although God was not confined to it, God promises to be there in their midst. The same is true about this place: God promises to meet us here. The Advent Candle Lighting, the St. Lucia celebration, the sharing of God’s body and blood in Holy Communion, and our gathering together all reminds us that God is Emmanuel, “God with Us,” and that his steadfast love produces joy in the mixed-bag celebrations of our lives. God makes a space for both grief and joy, rebuilds our lives and is present with steadfast love. Indeed, singing “Joy to the world” is an appropriate response. Amen.

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