Declaring the Good News
What Does Joy Look Like?
Dear Friends,
Gaudete Sunday approaches! Have you all got your rose garments out?
I can’t recall if it was Gaudete Sunday or Pentecost last year when Scott Gunnof Forward Movement remarked on Twitter that people only get so invested in the liturgical color once or twice a year – what about the rest of them? To which I replied, as a church school lady, don’t dare me.
I would have to go thrifting for SO MUCH green, though, if I were going to make that commitment. I own at most 3 pieces of green clothing.
But truly – how are we all doing as we try to be present in the waiting?
I confess, I think I get to occupy Advent a little more than many Church School Director-types. I oversee the big start of the season Advent Tree lighting event and then things slow down for me. And that’s because I believe that while Christmas Pageants *can* be formation, as a quarter time staff person, fighting with the existing pageant traditions isn’t worth my time and energy when, by not doing so, a volunteer will continue to delight in her commitment to that piece of parish life.
And, if you’re someone who is hugely into Christmas or Epiphany pageants or any of that, I’m so happy for you. Have fun.
Speaking of Joy
I have shared Godly Play’s Advent lessons for so many years now, but telling the third Sunday in Advent last year stands out in my mental library of classroom experiences because, first of all, it was (as is often the case), only Advent II, and second, because my circle had a very serious case of the giggles.
(It is worth knowing that my circle is currently dominated by several sibling sets who are also friends outside of church – I’m sure many of you know that energy.)
They could not stop laughing. And so, as I rolled out the third panel and talked about how this is the Sunday marked by a pink (sorry, rose) candle and is especially for celebration, one of my then third graders looked at me and said, “That must be why we are feeling so silly – we thought it was already the third Sunday in Advent.”
The embodiment of joy, friends. We need more of it, cutting through the distressing noise of our lives.
Of course, this week’s lectionary really does a number on that mood because the Gospel is just John the Baptist is just out there yelling at people. It’s “brood of vipers” time, y’all.
But what I like about this passage is how it ends. After offering a variety of moral exhortations of the crowd and telling them about the coming baptism in the Holy Spirit. And then it ends, “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.”
That is the most Gospel-style ending for such a passage, I think. How do we describe the notion of Good News? It is exhortation – it is a call to right action (“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”). It is a declaration of Christ’s coming (“one who is more powerful than I is coming”). And it is naming God’s justice (“Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.").
How would you explain what the Good News is? What else would you add to your explanation? What would you leave out?
In know we’re still in our “themed” week of Peace, but as we approach the declaration of Joy! this coming Sunday, consider using the candle themes in daily reflection. Some questions to ask –
When did you feel a sense of peace today?
When did you act as a peacemaker?
When did you feel joy today?
What does joy look like to you? Can you draw/sculpt/paint the feeling of joy?
How can you offer joy or peace to someone else?
I experienced peace on Sunday holding the hand of a new child in our Sunday School as we prepared to go up to the altar to observe the celebration of the eucharist up close. But sometimes peace is also the feeling of sitting down on the train after work. It is captured in so many moments.
Ornament Interlude
This week’s ornament recalled is brought to you by Precious Moments. I grew up surrounded by Precious Moments figurines, and this little blueberry pie figure absolutely had a place on our Christmas tree, along with a few other Precious Moments pieces.
I don’t have strong feelings about decorating Christmas trees, but I do have very strong feelings about Precious Moments, and they are tied up in a whole combination of feelings of peace and joy and love and more. Even if they’re “cringe,” as the kids say.
Resource Round-Up
Now is an excellent moment to return to Meredith Miller’s post about how to set boundaries with loved ones, particularly from the perspective of different faith practices. If you’ve got a relative who is really keen on inviting you to their megachurch for Christmas or giving your kids conservative devotionals, Miller’s got some real words of wisdom here.
Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints vol. 2 is in the works! Daneen Akers & the Watchfire media crew launched the Kickstarter the other day. Likely profiles for the next volume include: Mary Magdalene, St. Brigid, Rev. James Cone, Dorothy Day, and Walt Whitman, among others. Also good to pay attention to if you’re planning to support this project, at the $75 backer tier, you get the hardcover book, a digital edition, and the accompanying curriculum when it all launched in 2026.
Mary Magdalene illustrated by Rommy Torrico I really like this article on strategies for using sensory engagement in Christian formation. There’s something so powerful about having those different elements at play in our storytelling. I think of how some of my children ask for the Godly Play Baptism story every week – I don’t think it’s the dolls. I think it’s all of the other pieces, the water and oil, the ability to touch and smell and experience the story with their whole bodies.
That’s enough for now. Let us be present in the waiting.
Peace,
Bird