And They Shall Rejoice

Today we light the third candle on the Advent wreath. It is traditionally called the Gaudete candle—the candle of rejoicing.

What does “rejoice” even mean? It is not a word we use often in modern English. To rejoice is to “feel or show great joy or delight.”

But if you’re anything like me, these last years of the pandemic have made rejoicing pretty difficult. The things we celebrate have changed. We might rejoice over routine accomplishments like getting out of bed in the morning; or feel joy over a delicious cup of tea or coffee; we can shout for joy over a negative COVID test.

But I think the Christian tradition of rejoicing goes deeper than that. This past Spring our church did a sermon series through the book of Zechariah (not to be confused with the Zechariah of Luke 1 and 2).

Prophesying to the people after their return from the exile in Babylon, Zechariah provided messages pertaining to both their immediate and distant future. Mixed among the themes of rebuilding the temple are some of the clearest and most numerous passages about the Messiah in the minor prophets. Zechariah brings messages of hope and restoration for the people of God—exactly what they need after being apart from God’s presence for so long.

And so that is one of their first goals: to rebuild the temple, the dwelling place of the Lord. Enter Zerubbabel, from the line of David, and governor of Judah. Quickly he sets to work on reconstruction. Funny how so many from this kingly line find their occupations tied to the building of this temple. And it was so, until the final descendant, Jesus Christ, will build for us a new temple, and eternal place with Him.

But Zerubabbel just as fallible as his ancestors, and so God reminds him: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6b). The people’s expectations of what a rebuilt city should look like were so small and basic compared to what God had in mind.

“The Christian life is being called to be a craftsman,” our pastor explains. “None of our work done in faith, is done in vain. God’s design has no limits.”

And so, God spoke to Zechariah:
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line [a measuring tool] in the hand of Zerubbabel.” (Zechariah 4:9-10a)

For whoever despised the day of small things shall rejoice. Great joy and delight. Not from anything the people accomplished, but all from the Lord.

Do you ever wonder at Jesus’ earthly occupation? Scripture tells us he was a carpenter or tradesman. He built things with His own two hands. Can you imagine?

In her book, Prayer in the Night, Tish Harrison Warren reflects on this idea. She says,

“Jesus spent time, decades even, building stuff. Jesus was a tradesman. A builder who used his hands. God came to earth and apparently thought it worth his while to take some wood or stone or metal and make something. What did he make? We have no idea. Apparently nothing earth shattering enough to have kept around. But in this dark world, where men and women were dying, or the poor were suffering, where injustice raged in a vast and violent empire, God became flesh and built some furniture. During all those decades that he spent building things, he wasn't preaching, healing, or clearing out temples. He wasn't starting a movement or raising the dead. The light came into the darkness and did ordinary work. All of Jesus’ work brought redemption. Not just the work that odd the crowds, the feeding of the multitude, the sermon on the mount, the raising of Jairus’ is daughter, but also his quiet craft. (eBook, p. 233-234)

And with each finished product, I imagine Him rejoicing and saying, “and it was good!”

We may never see the fruit of God’s movement in our lives, but as a collective body of Christ, we will know and celebrate the work. So take courage and rejoice, your labors of faith are not in vain.

Two Stable Stories and the Helper

I want to share two Christmas picture books today. They both veer slightly from the Biblical account of Jesus’ birth in the manger, yet provide an added thought we can ponder this Advent season.

A Shepherd’s Gift by Mary Calhoun with illustrations by Raúl Colón is the story of a young shepherd boy named Matthew. One day the little sheep in his care wanders off. He goes in search of the lamb and discovers her in a stable. That’s when he noticed a man and a woman and a little baby resting in the hay. He wonders what they are doing and asks, “Can I help you here?” They too accept his help, and even his small but precious gift of the little lamb. When he leaves to return to the sheep camp, 

. . .a light shone on his way. He thought he heard voices. They seemed to be singing about that wonderful child who knew him, an ordinary shepherd.

Who Built the Stable? by Ashley Bryan is based on a Nativity poem he wrote by the same name. It is an account of a small shepherd boy-turned carpentry apprentice who builds the stable for his animals. One day he happens upon weary travelers Mary and Joseph, and like the young shepherd, asks them: “Can I help you?” They accept his help and are led to warmth and shelter to await Jesus’ birth. He continues to help with the manger and the straw, then then when dawn appears, the baby Jesus is born.

The boy booked in the infant’s eyes
And in his heart he know:

The babe would be a carpenter.

He’d be a shepherd too.

Both boys left the stable forever changed. By offering to stop and help, they were sacrificing their time, their talents, their possessions. What made them choose to say, “What can I do to help?”?

Maybe they recognized, in a sacred moment, that the baby would indeed grow up to be both Carpenter and Shepherd, the Good King Helper who would come to save His people from sin and death. They offered their help as worship. But how could they have known? The prophet Isaiah would have showed them:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand
    double for all her sins.

A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

- Isaiah 40:1-5

There is a lot of emphasis this time of year about helping each other in the name of Christmas cheer. Yet we know the real reason: Our Help has come. He was born in a stable in Bethlehem, nearly 2000 years ago. But He came not just as a baby, He came to help us know the way.

If we feel inadequate before Him, do not worry. Respond like the little shepherd and young carpenter in today's stories. Worship Him with what you have. Your hands and feet, your help and love.