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Reclaiming the Joy of Advent
Joy is found in those moments when we engage with the tension between present reality and future hope.
“Yes, indeed-God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God-yes God!-is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!“Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
(Isaiah 12:2–6 MSG)
The joy of Advent is revealed through three interconnected theological lenses that create an interesting paradox — the joy of salvation, the joy found within uncertainty, and the joy of God’s present reality.
Let’s take a look at each of these.
First, Isaiah uses water as a powerful metaphor for salvation. This imagery isn’t arbitrary — in an arid climate, a deep and reliable well meant the difference between life and death. When Isaiah compares God’s salvation to a well, he suggests that divine joy isn’t just a fleeting emotion but a sustainable resource that continuously nourishes spiritual…