You, you, when God sees you,
God delights in what is and sees only what’s true.
That you —yes, YOU— in all of your glory,
bring color and rhythm and rhyme to God’s story.
– from Matthew Paul Turner’s “When God Made You”

As we light the joy candle,
we focus on the joy felt by Mary,
the joy felt by the angels,
the joy felt by all the people who would encounter the Christ child.
But so too, I wonder about the joy of God—
the joy God must have felt as creator entered into creation in a new way,
the joy of the Holy Spirit leading the celebration at the birth,
the joy of the baby Jesus discovering his fingers and toes
and being held for the first time by his loving mother and stepfather—
the shared joy that every human being was about to be part of something new.

Joy because God would dwell among us in physical form
and participate in creation in a new way—
catching fish, cooking meals, walking, sitting by campfires, resting in the homes of friends, laughing at jokes, embracing loved ones, singing songs, doing all the things which bring us humans joy.
The creator creates alongside us,
seeing the world through our eyes.
At such a prospect, how can we feel anything but joy?

May joy fill your spirit today,
for God is among us and within us and for us.
Amen.

This year’s Advent posts each begin with an excerpt from Matthew Paul Turner’s exceptional children’s book “When God Made You.” It’s one of my daughter’s favorites, and it’s a great reminder for adults as well. It’s pretty much a perfect stocking stuffer for all ages. Also, the image at the top of each post this year is Jessi’s and my own Advent wreath in our home, so know that we’re lighting the candles with you as these posts go live.