Joy…so overwhelming and unimaginable it has to be expressed! This is the emotion the Psalmist speaks of in this Psalm. And it speaks of two ways of expressing that type of joy.
The first is like the Isley Brothers version of the song, ‘Twist and Shout,’ sings: “Well…You know you (or ‘it’ in some cases) makes me want to (Shout!) Kick my heels up and (Shout!) Throw my hands up and (Shout!) Throw my head back and (Shout!).” This is a full-bodied explosion of energy.
The second is like those who dream. It is an expression like Mary’s on the night of Jesus’ birth when shepherds and angels made for a wild and eventful evening. The scripture says, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” This is a quieter, more thoughtful, even speechless, way of expressing joy overwhelming.
Like other sports fans, I’ve experienced the first in the more trivial experience of my college team winning a national football championship. I experienced the second, more profoundly, when the nurse handed me each of my two children just after each had been born.
The insight I have come to understand in those moments was not about the joy of what had just happened, but what each moment opened up for the future—the possibility of more championships, or the wondrous and delightful anticipation of what life will be like with this child.
Advent is not just about the joy of celebrating that Jesus came but of also the joy of what his coming means for our future.
Prayer:
You have a track record of making a way where there is no way. Thank you for making a way for our future in Jesus! You know you make me want to shout! Amen!
