Waiting with Creation, Longing for Joy: Advent Reflection on Joy

Isaiah 35:1-6, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
​sorrow and mourning will flee.

For much of my adult life with God, joy has been a significant, anchoring part of my faith. Through times of great delight and times of deep sorrow, the Spirit has graciously and kindly planted joy as the lens through which I both celebrate and mourn. It’s not a joy that removes or disregards pain; it’s one that anchors me in deep hope and in faith in a God who promises to make all things right. It has always felt like something not of my own doing, a gift for which I have been immensely grateful.

I must confess, however, that throughout this last year, joy as the lens through which to process all that I, my community, and creation are going through has been elusive. It’s been a year of grief, anger, loss, and confusion. I’ve waited for that replanting of joy to make itself known again, and in this season of Advent that longing has only grown.

In extended seasons of waiting, we can lose sight of what exactly we are in anticipation of. We can begin to feel as if we are alone in our waiting, sinking further into questions like: God, will the restoration you promise, the planting of joy from your Spirit and the making of all things right, truly come to pass?

Isaiah 35:1–6, 10 reminds us not only of what we are waiting for, but of who we are waiting with. 

Isaiah 35:1–6, 10 reminds us not only of what we are waiting for, but of who we are waiting with.

It offers a vision of human and more-than-human creation together being crowned with everlasting joy. The prophet tells us that the deserts will exalt the Lord and the flowers will burst forth in bloom and praise. We see those who are blind, deaf, lame, and mute finding healing, and all of creation being met by the Lord with joy and gladness. Sorrow and mourning are far from creation’s sight as we delight in communion with our Creator.

Though the full planting of joy I know is God’s desire for me is something I’m still waiting for in many ways, I’ve taken great comfort in waiting alongside the community of creation in this Advent season. The songs and prayers of my multilingual church family, the laughter of children, the sunset over the Pacific, the company of trees on long sabbath hikes… each has accompanied me in my waiting and has graciously invited me to accompany them in theirs.

This Advent, I’m in awe of a creation that chooses to persist, sometimes even defiantly, and continue living as it waits for its restoration. If creation can persist through chaos and destruction, I can too. We wait together, we long for joy together, we build a community expectant for our Messiah together. And that, I’m realizing, is an expression of joy in and of itself. When we find community and solidarity with creation - a creation that reminds us we are not alone in our waiting - our radical commitment to continue living together becomes a planting of joy, joy rooted in the Spirit of our Creator as he continues to work and move and usher us all into the kingdom.

In this Advent season, as all of creation remembers that it has waited before and waits once again for its Redeemer, let us hold joy for and with one another. May this joy be what sustains us as we wait, grounding us in the patience James 5 calls us to, especially in times of suffering.
We do not wait in suffering alone.
We do not wait in suffering without joy.
Though not yet complete, creation is singing.
Creation is praising our God.
Let us join that song, and let it be a proclamation of resistance and a proclamation of joy.

​Marissa Salgado
Church Engagement Manager
Creation Justice Ministries

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