The Third Sunday of Advent is known as the Sunday of Joy in our Advent Season. The color is rose which is meant to symbolize the color on the horizon just before sunrise. As joyous as this Sunday is, knowing that we are almost to Christmas, in our personal lives outside of church, it can easily be a time of stress.
It’s a weekend when most Christmas parties fall, where we are trying to wrap up our Christmas shopping, and get everything done for Christmas which is now just two weeks away. It can easily feel like a time when, like our Connecting Point image shows, we feel tangled up in a string of Christmas lights (where half don’t even work).
So how do we combat and find peace in the midst of all of this? How can we find peace and be patient when our Amazon Prime package doesn’t arrive on time, when someone misses a deadline, or when we’re stuck in unexpected traffic making us late?
We’re reminded in our second reading this Sunday to be patient like the farmer who waits for the “precious fruit of the earth.” We know that good things come to those who wait but we can sometimes forget how important patience is and the positive effect that showing patience can have in other areas of our life.
In moments of stress and feelings of impatience, use those opportunities to slow down, breath, and thank God for all the blessings that you have. Your Amazon package is late, but be thankful you are able to afford what is coming in that package. Your coworker misses a deadline, but be thankful you have a job. You’re stuck in unexpected traffic, but be thankful that you have a car and are healthy enough to be mobile.
Let’s calm this stressful time with the joy of the Lord that we celebrate in two weeks, and the confidence that he will come again. Be patient. Be joyful.
– Matt Kush, Director of Engagement
