ADVENT WEEK THREE
December 19, 2020
Unbridled Joy
Judges 13:2-24
Then the Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, “O Lord, I pray, let the man of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us what we are to do concerning the boy who will be born.” God listened to Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” Judges 13:8-10
As the third week of Advent ends with its theme of Joy, I reflect on the joy in Judges 13:2-24. The joy of the woman was unrestrained as she “ran quickly” to tell her husband that the prayer for the guidance of the child they were expecting was here.
It is not that there was a time limit, and that is why she needed to run. She was running for excitement to share in the answered prayer with her husband. Unbridled joy is that feeling of so much joy a person cannot help but react. Smiling, laughing, as a physical reaction to release the amount of joy as you feel you might burst.
Although it can be difficult to pinpoint moments of joy in the day-to-day, like: 1:02 p.m. August 9, 2020, joyous moment for 108 seconds, my cat purred in my lap, reassuring me of its love. It is much easier to recall unbridled joyful moments as this is the “best day ever” feeling. Frequently, these are in walking across graduation stages, the words “I do,” a baby’s first cry, and other major life moments.
It might be challenging for a person to attempt to capture an unbridled joyous moment they had just this past week. However, I am sure it is possible. It might be something seemingly insignificant, like the joy in seeing someone who makes you happy when it has been a rough week. It could also just be the joy of knowing that you are a beloved child of God. Any moment of joy is one for celebration, no matter how bridled.
Lukus Ebert
Student Senate Member and Master of Divinity Student
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