Walter used Beethoven’s example of finding joy in the midst of suffering to talk about the value of celebrating joy even when times are hard. (He was going to start listing all the ways in which we’ve been feeling hardship and loss lately, but the music got him too choked up.)
Walter uses a story to make the point of how the political methods of Jesus were not at all on the same page as others – and this remains true to this day. The church that follows Jesus has only one approach to politics: to be communities of compassion, generosity and joy.
Walter explores the theme for the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Joy), emphasizing that joy must remain aware of the suffering and hardship around us and that trust enables us to respond to the moments when joy arises in us. When his notes ran out of steam, the congregation’s wisdom rose to the challenge!
For the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we had a special “Intergenerational Sunday” with stories, instruments for the kids, and a pinata to wrap things up! Janell, Lorna and Victoria took turns sharing “Stories of Intergenerational Joy.”