Belmont University Advent GuideParaugs

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about joy. I do not mean momentary happiness that is fleeting, but true, deep joy. You might find this unusual, but I have been thinking about joy because I have been cleaning my house. Recently I read a book that suggests touching each item in my home and asking “does this spark joy?” It works pretty well as a method for cleaning my house, but it is particularly wonderful as a preparation for Advent and the upcoming Christmas season.

It is obviously helpful to clean out one’s home before Christmas because most of us receive more possessions during Christmas. And ridding ourselves of the clothes and books and other things that don’t bring us joy is a great idea. Surrounding ourselves with joyful possessions brings a kind of joy. This is our first metaphor for Advent.

In this theory of cleaning house, donating possessions means sending those possessions out into the world to give joy to someone else. This, in turn, comes back around and brings us joy because we know that we have brought joy to others. I like this idea when it comes to our belongings. It is our second metaphor for Advent.

Thinking of these two metaphors for Advent, we learn that we should surround ourselves with joy and we should send that joy out into the world. If we want to be people who experience joy, we need to figure out how to surround ourselves with joy and how to send it out into the world.

I am struck by the text from Matthew 22 that emphasizes God being a living God who is interested in us, who are alive. This is a great reason to rejoice!

What surrounds you with the joy of the Lord today? Is it studying the Bible? Listening to the Beatles? Running? Praying? Singing? Laughing? Thinking about Jesus’ first coming and His second?

And what can you send out into the world so others will experience joy? It might be your belongings, but more than that, it might be sending yourself into the world to be an ambassador for joy. As you do your metaphorical housecleaning, think about what will bring you joy and what you want to send out into the world to bring joy to others.

Ann Coble
Lecturer in Religion