December 15: The Joy of Saying Yes to God
♫ Music:
WEEK THREE INTRODUCTION
TITLE: MANIFESTING EXCEEDING JOY
December 15-21
French priest and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote that “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” Joy is a profound emotion that issues forth from the depth of our souls and comes from the Holy Spirit. All human beings experience happiness but joy is a special gift given by God, the only source of this intense feeling. Bible teacher John Piper writes, “Joy is the good feeling in the soul produced by the Holy Spirit as He causes us to see the beauty of Jesus in the Word and in His works.” The stories of Advent and Christmas are nothing less than miraculous accounts of “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” And we are compelled to respond to the wonders of His love by echoing the words of the familiar Christmas hymn, “Joy to the world the Lord is come, let [everything in] heaven and nature sing!” Exceeding great JOY is what we celebrate and explore this third week of Advent.
Sunday, December 15
Title: THE JOY OF SAYING YES TO GOD
Scripture: Luke 1:26-38
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Poetry:
Annunciation
by Denise Levertov
‘Hail, space for the uncontained God’
From the Agathistos Hymn,
Greece, VIc
We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,
almost always a lectern, a book; always
the tall lily.
Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings,
the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering,
whom she acknowledges, a guest.
But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions
courage.
The engendering Spirit
did not enter her without consent.
God waited.
She was free
to accept or to refuse, choice
integral to humanness.
____________________
Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?
Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.
More often
those moments
when roads of light and storm
open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from
in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.
____________________
She had been a child who played, ate, slept
like any other child–but unlike others,
wept only for pity, laughed
in joy not triumph.
Compassion and intelligence
fused in her, indivisible.
Called to a destiny more momentous
than any in all of Time,
she did not quail,
only asked
a simple, ‘How can this be?’
and gravely, courteously,
took to heart the angel’s reply,
the astounding ministry she was offered:
to bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power–
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light.
Then bring to birth,
push out into air, a Man-child
needing, like any other,
milk and love–
but who was God.
This was the moment no one speaks of,
when she could still refuse.
A breath unbreathed,
Spirit,
suspended
waiting.
____________________
She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’
Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’
She did not submit with gritted teeth,
raging, coerced.
Bravest of all humans,
consent illumined her.
The room filled with its light,
the lily glowed in it,
and the iridescent wings.
Consent,
courage unparalleled,
opened her utterly.
LIGHT SHINING AMIDST THE DARKNESS
The poet Denise Levertov, like Jane Austen, grew up as the daughter of an Anglican Clergyman in England. Unlike Austen’s father George Austen, however, Paul Levertov had first been a Hasidic Jew before he converted to Christianity. Like the Virgin Mary, he courageously said “yes” to God’s call, though it involved the risk of potential shunning by his Jewish community. Through her poetry, his daughter Denise Levertov participated in the tradition of viewing Mary as a model for all people — men and women — seeking to follow God’s will in humble obedience. In her elegantly and simply titled poem, “Annunciation,” Levertov emphasizes courageous assent in the light of faith.
Fascinatingly, Levertov begins her poem with a line from a Greek Orthodox hymn: “Hail space for the uncontained God.” The Greek Orthodox Church was the tradition within which my own Ukrainian father was raised. In my attempts to understand this tradition, through reading and by occasionally attending Orthodox services, I have discovered much theological and liturgical space for mystery and paradox, as well as the idea of reverence for Mary as the Mother of God, or Theotokos. To greet someone with “Hail”, as the first word in the angel’s address within Luke 1:28 appears in some translations, signifies a deep respect, as in the classical address “Hail, Caesar!” There is also much ineffability here, as we contemplate the mystery of the incarnation. How could a young, slim, female body provide space for the omnipresent, uncontained and uncontainable, God? How could the Creator who gave birth to the universe rest in a human womb until the time came for His own birth? It is a sublime and terrifying reality, yet, as Levertov very intentionally highlights, Mary responded with “courage” (line 8).
Mary’s assent to God’s call on her life must have contained a poignant mixture of grief and joy. She knew she had much to lose even as she joyfully embraced God’s invitation. In her poem, Levertov suggests such resplendent yet initially daunting invitations from God occur throughout our own lives: “moments / when roads of light and storm / open from darkness in a man or woman” (lines 23 - 25). How is God shining light amidst the darkness of your life at this moment? Is he asking you to shift or change as you come into greater alignment with an adventure into which He is calling you?
Prayer:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Grant us the courage we need to be true to the vocation at our heart’s center. May the truth of your call upon our lives shine like a candle burning brightly even in the midst of our darkest times. Help us, like Mary, to bravely accept the potentially daunting tasks you lay before us, all the while trusting we will be infused by the light of your grace.
We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
Amen.
Dr. Natasha Duquette
Chair and Professor of English
Tyndale University College
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
The Annunciation
Angel Zárraga
1916
Oil on canvas
54.0 cm x 65.4 cm
Private Collection
Angel Zárraga breaks from traditional representational painting in this piece by using translucent spheres and cones of color to emphasize the drama of The Annunciation. His painting depicts the Archangel Gabriel with his arm raised in salutation and blessing as he announces to Mary that she has been chosen to conceive Christ through the Holy Spirit. Gabriel’s wings, rendered in prismatic color, are raised in flight as Mary, with her arms crossed upon her chest in humility and surrender, bows her head in reverence as she receives the angel’s message. A heavenly stream of light illuminates Mary as Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God."
About the Artist:
Angel Zárraga (1886-1946) was a Mexican artist who studied at the National Preparatory School in Mexico City. Following his studies and with the support of his family, he left for France where he remained for over thirty years. While in France, Zárraga painted murals in the Castle of Vert Coeur and decorated the Mexican Legation in Paris. By 1921, Zárraga had completely embraced and incorporated the cubist theories of fellow artist Paul Cézanne in his work. Zárraga’s work breaks from representational painting by creating spheres and cones of light rather than two-dimensional planes. During World War II he returned to his home country of Mexico, where he painted murals in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Monterrey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ngel_Z%C3%A1rraga
About the Music:
“Mitt Hjerte Alltid Vanker” from the album Silent Night: Christmas in Rome
Lyrics:
Mitt hjerte alltid vanker,
i Jesu føderum,
der samles mine tanker
som i sin hovedsum.
Det er min lengsel hjemme,
der har min tro sin skatt,
jeg kan deg aldri glemme,
velsignet julenatt!
En spurv har dog sitt rede
og sikre hvilebo,
en svale må ei bede
om nattely og ro;
En løve vet sin hule
hvor den kan hvile få
- skal da min Gud seg skjule
i andres stall og strå?
Å, kom, jeg opp vil lukke
mitt hjerte og mitt sinn
og full av lengsel sukke:
Kom, Jesus, dog herinn!
Det er ei fremmed bolig,
Du har den selv jo kjøpt,
så skal du blive trolig
her i mitt hjerte svøpt.
Translation:
My heart always lingers
in the birthplace of Jesus
My thoughts there gather
as their main sum
There is my longing at home,
there has my faith its prize
You I never could forget,
blessed Christmas night
A sparrow though has its nest
and sacred resting space
A swallow shouldn't need to ask
for nightly shelter and peace
A lion knows its cave
Where it'll find its calm
Should then my God have to hide
in others' stable and straw?
Oh come, I will open
my heart and my mind
and full of longing sigh:
Comest thou in, Jesus
It's not a strange homestead
you bought it yourself
So you can stay here,
faithfully swathed in my heart
About the Composer:
Traditional North Germanic Norwegian vocal music includes ballads and short, often improvised songs, among the most common types of traditional music.
About the Performers:
Sissel Kyrkjebo and The Chieftains
Sissel Kyrkjebo (b. 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias. She possesses a "crystalline" voice and wide vocal range, sweeping from mezzo-soprano, in arias such as “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta Voix” from Saint-Saëns's opera Samson et Dalila, to the F natural above soprano C. She is well known for singing the Olympic Hymn at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. She has also sung duets with such international figures such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Neil Sedaka, Brian May, Charles Aznavour, and The Chieftains.
https://sisselmusic.com/
The Chieftains are a traditional Irish band formed in Dublin in 1962 by Paddy Moloney, Sean Potts, and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes (the national bagpipe of Ireland), has become synonymous with traditional Irish music, and they are regarded as having helped popularize Irish music across the world. The Chieftains have won six Grammys during their career and were given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002. Some music experts have credited The Chieftains with bringing traditional Irish music to a worldwide audience, so much so, that the Irish government awarded them the honorary title of “Ireland's Musical Ambassadors” in 1989.
https://www.thechieftains.com/
About the Poet:
Priscilla Denise Levertov (1923–1997) was a British-born American poet. After Levertov moved to the United States, she was heavily influenced by the Black Mountain Poets, especially with the mysticism of poet Charles Olson, the style of William Carlos Williams, and the Transcendentalism of Thoreau and Emerson. Levertov’s conversion to Christianity in 1984 was the impetus for her religious poetry. In 1997, she brought together 38 poems from seven of her earlier volumes in The Stream & the Sapphire, a collection intended, as Levertov explains in the foreword to the collection, “to trace my slow movement from agnosticism to Christian faith, a movement incorporating much doubt and questioning as well as affirmation." Levertov published more than twenty volumes of poetry and was also the author of four books of prose.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/denise-levertov
About the Devotion Writer:
Dr. Natasha Duquette
Chair and Professor of English
Tyndale University College
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Natasha Duquette is Chair and Professor of English at Tyndale University College in Toronto, Canada. She is author of Veiled Intent: Dissenting Women’s Aesthetic Approach to Biblical Interpretation (Pickwick, 2016). Her 30-Day Journey with Jane Austen is a series of meditations, based on Austen’s novels and prayers, forthcoming with Fortress Press in March 2020.