What Do You See? {Advent 3}

When you look at a glass half filled with water, what do you see? Do you see the glass half-empty or the glass half-full? You don't have to answer out loud, but what is your normal inclination? We all have one, right?...not just to this, but to most things. Our normal answer to things – the way we see.

But maybe there is another way to look at it all together....

This is what happens when we leave our normal and change the way we “see”. Changing our perspective changes everything, doesn't it?

The third candle of Advent represents JOY! Our world is not really full of this quality...watch the news, see the struggles, and hear the conversations. I think we lack so much joy in our world because we live in the closed in world of “normal” answers instead of opening our eyes to see a new perspective. Jesus tells us...

Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have.  (Matthew 6:22-23)

I think Jesus knew that Joy is always a function of amazement, and amazement is always a function of perspective. If we are going to live in joy we are going to have to change the way we SEE!!

But isn't that the Christmas story?

Zacharias – is amazed at the message of a baby going to be born to him and Elizabeth in their old age.  In fact, the angel tell him, regarding his son, “you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth”

Elizabeth – is amazed to see Mary coming to visit her, so much so that she tells us "the baby leaped in my womb for Joy"

Mary – is amazed to see what God is doing around her and in her and she gives us that joyful monologue, the Magnificat

Shepherds – are so amazed at the pronouncement of the good news of a great joy which was for all people that they left everything and ran to see if it was true

Wise Men – rejoiced exceedingly with great joy when they saw His star

Simeon and Anna – are filled with amazement and great joy that they were allowed to see this Child

And the common thread among all these? Each person chose to see differently...their perspective was changed. They left their “normal” answers behind to really see what God was doing. Their perspective changed, and they entered into amazement, and amazement grew into JOY! In fact the only person I can find in the Christmas story who does not respond with Joy is Herod....he maintained his "normal" perspective.

So how do we – like all these – practice Joy this week? Like them, maybe we need to see differently and leave normal behind.  But remember..Joy is always a function of amazement, and amazement is always a function of perspective. If we are going to live in joy we are going to have to change the way we SEE!!.

So let's keep a list this week of all the events, people, things, and situations that amaze us.  They can be really big, or really, really small, but either way, let's open our eyes, let's change our perspective, let's be amazed, and may we watch all this make room for joy to grow.