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When the experience of joy gushes - Meditation for Tuesday of Advent II

When I read the ninth verse of the Book of Revelation that says, “I, John, your brother who shares with you in the hardship, kingdom, and endurance that we have in Jesus,” the words hardship, kingdom, and endurance touch me deeply. Our kinship with John spans over 2,000 years of time—in the eternal now—of experiencing hardship in our everyday lives; of experiencing joyous moments that come from living in the kingdom; and of the endurance necessary to fight the good fight that leads to engaging in the victory that is ours in Christ. This is a journey with many ups and downs.

My mind wanders to a time when in 2000, my family learned that our daughter suffered a snowboarding accident that left her paraplegic. I could not pray. I was numb. How could this happen? This is hardship.

What emerged from this life-changing accident was an endurance that could only be credited to the grace of God in my daughter’s life, as well as in my family’s life. We made adjustments—built a ramp into the house, altered the bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair, and encouraged our daughter to “keep on keeping on” in living her new and very different life. Over these past 15 years, she has shown such endurance, long-suffering, and giving back, the likes of which amaze us. We join her in that endurance as believers in the strength that God gives us when we need it the most.

As deep as the hardship and endurance are, the joys of the kingdom are just as deep, if not deeper. We have times when the experience of joy gushes from our bellies and brings us into the light, like the appearance of Jesus at the end of this reading that “was like the sun shining with all its power.” 

The readings for Tuesday of Advent II (08 Dec 2015) are:

Psalm:26, 28
OT: Amos 7:10-17
NT: Rev. 1:9-16
Gospel: Matt. 22:34-46

and can be found at www.satucket.com/lectionary/2Advent2.htm

Comments

Thank you for this wonderful meditation and your inspiring story. It made my day.

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