Playing with Words Part 4

 

This week we are playing prayerfully with the language of Advent ~ Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.  Feel free to go back and read the posts from the previous days this week.  It’s okay…I’ll wait.

Insert me singing, “For we need a little Christmas right this very minute, candles in the window carols at the spinet,” which reminds to try to get the word spinet to trend on social media this week.

Okay…everyone back?  Great.  Today’s word is, Joy.  As in, thanks be to God, this is the shortest of all four words and doesn’t have an E in it.  Insert me singing, “Alleluia” here.

Today I invite you to ponder prayerfully and playfully what the word, JOY provokes and evokes as we prepare for God’s grand entry into the world in a barn of all places.  Truly I never tire of how countercultural and headshaking/head scratching the truth of Christmas is.  Perhaps it is so revolutionary that God comes quietly, silently, barely noticed expect for a few shepherds keeping watch over their flock.  That God’s grand entry doesn’t immediately and instantly overthrow the powers that be.  In fact, God in Christ will be crucified (sorry spoiler alert!).  But let’s focus on JOY. 

J ~ Juxtaposed jubilance with jabberwocky that jettisons jaggedness

O ~ Over-the-top ordinariness that orchestrates our orientation to the hOly tOday

Y ~ Yelling or yodeling to all about the yeast of life

Okay, I will admit that the “Y” is a bit of weak sauce, but this isn’t easy.  That is actually the point.  Part of the joy of this exercise and experience is that there has been a smile on my face every day that I have tried to do this…and I pray you have felt joy as you tried your hand at composing prayers.  I pray you let loose your creativity in expressing how the language of Advent awakens your alertness in these December days.  May you continue to play with the language of Advent and how we are preparing with God to celebrate good news of great joy for all the world.  May you find joy in quiet, small ways this day and in exhilarating ways as well.  Amen.