Kitty Williams, Director of Music Ministries
“Season of Hope!” is our advent theme this year.
The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of my favorites. It’s an old black and white movie.
At the beginning of the movie, a senior angel is talking to a junior, telling him about George Bailey.
The scene is set with a star-lit sky.
Although it’s two stars blinking at each other, it is evident that angels are talking to each other.
Clarence is the junior. Here is a bit of the conversation:
Senior Angel: A man down on earth needs our help.
Clarence: Splendid. Is he sick?
Senior Angel: No, worse. He’s discouraged.
It is easy to get discouraged and lose hope. Life happens.
For young ones, it’s falling off a bike, making a poor grade, losing a game or parents divorcing.
For young adults, it is not getting a job, house, or family that was hoped for in younger years.
For older adults, it can be that things are changing – new technologies, kids moving away or age discrimination.
For all ages, it’s broken relationships, losing loved ones and unrest in the world.
You name yours. There are numerous reasons that we get discouraged and lose hope.
There are so many wonderful Christmas carols. We have so little time to sing them all.
Often times in our haste to sing them all, we only sing one or two verses of each.
Sometimes, however, the most significant verses are in the middle.
This is true in the song, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”
For background, the Greek word for “angel” means “messenger.”
This song describes angel messengers coming throughout all times, bringing us the message of peace and love.
Three of the verses speak of world conditions.
But the third verse, which is most often omitted, says this:
And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way
with painful steps and slow,
look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
and hear the angels sing!
As many of you know, my father died the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
I grieve for myself, but mostly for my mom, who literally lost her life-long love.
I’m thankful for those of you who have modeled “good grieving.”
I recognize that you put your trust in our merciful Lord in times of both sorrow and joy.
I find it ironic that I can feel both joy/peace and sorrow/grief at the same time.
As I “rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing,” these scriptures come to my mind:
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
– Isaiah 40:28-31
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
– Titus 3:4-5
Prayer:
Loving God, help me to take time to rest, to listen and to be renewed by your Holy
Spirit.
Help me to be the person you need me to be to bring peace on earth (or a least to those who are near me.)
Blessing:
May your hope be renewed this advent season.
First Reflections 