Joy

Monday night, Adam confessed, amidst lots of tears, his homesickness for Sterling and the sadness he’d been hiding in his heart.  He had so been hoping to go home for Christmas and was disappointed to learn that we weren’t.

Struck by the intensity of Adam’s desire to connect with a world dear to him, we looked up flights on Tuesday. To our surprise, we found a great deal flying from Seattle to Denver, leaving Thursday night.  Adam and Johanna’s final day of school was Thursday, so we purchased tickets for Craig, Adam, and Johanna to go home for an early Christmas and surprised Adam and Johanna with the news. They were overjoyed! I was overjoyed, too, knowing the delight they would feel, as well as the joy it would bring to my Mom and Dad.

On Thursday, dear Katie stopped me at school and asked why I wasn’t going.  Lenin called and encouraged me to join my family.  Leah stopped by and said she’d look after the dogs. My Dad called and said he’d cash in visa points to help with the cost of the ticket.  I hemmed and hawed, feeling torn between my desire to go back and my desire to be at Jason’s film night, the Christmas party, the leadership team meeting, and all the other fun things I get to do with you wonderful folk at Southpoint.  On Friday, I made my decision and booked a flight to Kansas. I leave Sunday morning, and I’ll return on Saturday.

I’ll miss you all at the Christmas party, and I will look forward to being together again to celebrate the fourth week of Advent, the Week of Love.  However, as we enter into the Third Week of Advent, the Week of Joy, I can’t help thanking God for his tender mercies.  After months of longing and waiting for a time to return, God gave us this opportunity to connect to a world so dear.  I wonder if that is how God the Son felt, waiting for the time to be right for him to come and connect with a world so dear to him.  I wonder about the joy of God the Spirit, releasing the life of the Son into the womb of Mary.  I wonder about the joy of God the Father, watching as the Son “tabernacled” himself, the Creator finally one with the Creation.  I wonder about the joy in the heavenlies as Mary grew great with child. I wonder at the marvel of it all, that we, too, are pregnant with the presence of God.

Rev. Anne Smith